Did you know that most domestic manufacturers of fashion accessories, clothes, shoes and, for example, furniture do not process Czech leather, but import it from abroad, most often from Italy? Why is that? The reality may surprise you.
Where did the Czech leather industry go?
Companies that make their products from genuine leather often have no other option but to use material from abroad. During the last decades in the Czech Republic, there has been a significant decline in the industry processing local rawhide for further use. This trend is the result of historical and economic development.
The Czech tradition of leather production experienced its best period in the 18th and 19th centuries, when it gradually transitioned from manufactory to industrial processing due to the beginning of industrialization and the industrial revolution. During the period of socialism in Czechoslovakia, controlled centralized mass production was introduced, which went in the direction of cheap production at the expense of product quality.
After the fall of communism, the Czech leather industry declined even more. A large number of well-known businesses and brands have closed, as have most domestic tanneries. New or surviving companies gradually began to focus more on the quality of the material and its design and to specialize in specific market segments. However, this is related to the increase in the prices of processed leather and the focus rather on export.
Why is Italian leather so popular with Czech manufacturers?
When you start looking for the kind of leather domestic companies use to sew shoes, fashion accessories and other products, you will find that it is mostly leather from Italy. It is considered high-quality to luxurious, soft and at the same time durable, elegant and aesthetically attractive worldwide.
The southern European country has a long tradition of producing quality leather, and local processors are known for their expert skills and techniques in the leather industry. They have greatly improved over the hundreds of years of their history, they have adapted effective modern methods and today they are at a very high level.
Italian leather factories are often able to produce large volumes of quality leather, which enables Czech companies to obtain the necessary amount of material at a good price, which they can process in local domestic workshops. Thanks to them, Czechs can treat themselves to luxurious leather accessories such as quality belts in a comfortable design without limiting holes.
