At Honey & Toast we source the best materials we can to make our products and offer you superb value. Leather as a material is durable, and can last a lifetime. Our bags are made from the highest quality, safety tested and ethically sourced leather articles that are all by-products of the food industry.
Leather is a natural material and will soften and change over time - developing a patina unique to you. This is part of the natural ageing process and should be cherished for the stories it tells of you - and your adventures together.
At Honey & Toast we use different types of leather as each has its own unique qualities. To hold structure, to slouch, to gather together, to be lightweight... Below you will find a guide to the leathers we use, why and where they come from.
HANDBAG STORAGE & CARE
To keep your H&T bag looking its best, please store in the dust bag it comes with and keep away from direct sunlight and other bright light.
If your bag gets wet - pat excess water off gently with a soft white cloth and then air dry the bag at room temperature before storing - DO NOT ever use a direct heat source such as radiator or hair dryer. The inside of the bags will stain from leaky pens, make up and so on – so please take care. Please be aware you may experience colour rub from dark colour leathers onto light clothing, this will not last and after a short time will stop when the leather has 'sealed'.
HANDBAG CARE PRODUCTS
We recommend the Collonil leather care range and now offer these products for sale on our website. Please don't hesitate to contact me directly for more advice.
Browse leather care products
With regard to suede and the more fragile metallic leathers - please spray the surface of the bag lightly and from recommended distance with a silicone leather or suede spray.
BRUTON
Our best selling half moon bags are made from this leather. Sourced from a family owned tannery in Tuscany, Italy. The article we buy is vegetable tanned using a generations old 'recipe' that is a closely guarded family secret.
Small marks and scratches are usually easy to remove from this leather with a buff of a soft cloth or rubbing with a warm hand - the natural oils in your skin will help heal small or light scratches on the leather surface.
This is a very natural leather which will age so beautifully! Due to the natural treatment colour can vary in tone across this surface. Half moon bags, Frances, mini Libby, Flora & Bella purses are made from this leather.
Colour rub can occur with richly coloured Bruton leathers - so please avoid wearing dark colours against light coloured clothing.
The metallic Libby hobo has a nude colour vegetable tanned leather handle - this has a very natural unfinished surface, this leather changes with time to develop the most stunning rich toffee colour patina.
SOMERTON
Soft, yet durable and strong – and importantly lightweight – this leather is tanned in Italy. This softly tumbled grainy leather makes the Anna bucket bag, some of the Katie and Libby bags and the Jamie shoulder bag. It has a luxurious semi gloss finish. It takes colour so well - check out the richness in the colour tones. The leather is chrome tanned and aniline dyed - meaning the leather is dyed all the way through for fantastic richness of colour and superb quality.
GLASTONBURY
A vegetable tanned leather sourced in Italy this leather is DIVINE! Our Glastonbury leather is an analine treated leather. Only the best quality hides are selected - as you can see the top grain and surface of the leather in the finished product so clearly. In the world of leather, aniline tanning is synonymous with refinement and is the finest available. Soft to the touch but hardwearing your bag will look more beautiful every time you wear it, softening and developing a wonderful patina. Conker in colour - but with different tones shining though - as the natural qualities underneath are not hidden. Each and every bag is unique, so yours will be special to you. The Libby and Katie in conker are made from this leather.
FROME
The more structured Eddie and mini Eddie bags are made from a leather sourced from the Netherlands. This leather is up to 2.4mm thick and very structured, so ideal for unlined bags. It is a traditional satchel leather article. It is very hardwearing, resistant to scratches and can be cleaned very easily, it will soften slightly with age but keep it's structure well. Bags made from this leather are unlined.
LANGPORT
A small scale pebble grain made in a tannery in Yeovil, Somerset, with the most subtle sheen - this leather has a luxurious look and handle. Ideal for our Russet tote as the grain makes this leather more hardwearing.
METALLIC LEATHERS
All of our metallic leathers are sourced in Italy - and are more delicate - the shine may soften and change with age and handling - but will of course still be beautiful.The metallic treatment is printed onto the suede side of the leather. This means the metallic effect will wear in a non uniform way - due to natural scarring and surface variation on the skin. Metallic leather bags are less suited to hard, every day use. Please store your bag carefully to keep it at its best. Treat with a leather care spray.
SUEDE
The raspberry Katie bag has a suede front and back panel. Colour rub can occur with richly coloured suedes - so please avoid wearing dark colour suedes against light coloured clothing. The suede Katie bag has already been treated with suede spray but it is essential to maintain this for maximum effect and longevity.
EMBOSSED CROCODILE LEATHER
Your twin moon is made from Italian calf leather that has been embossed with a crocodile pattern using large metal plates. Clean your croc twin moon bag gently with a dry white cloth - to be safe please test a small area first. Never use any abrasive cleaning substances or solvents.
BAG LININGS
Many of our handbags are unlined. You may see markings on the reverse side of the solid colour leather - these are symbols used in the tannery industry to confirm the quality and size of the leather used to make your bag. If your bag is lined it is with a cotton canvas fabric that is sourced within the UK.
METAL FITTINGS
The metal fittings on all Honey & Toast products are made from coated brass fittings, they will develop a unique patina over time, as you use and handle them. The brass fittings may have small irregular marks and are unlikely to be a totally flat, uniform colour. We consider this to be a positive, as brass is a natural material and, as with the leather we use, the metal fittings will change over time making your bag unique to you. The air and chemicals in your skin will all have an impact on the finish.
GOLD STAMPING
The H&T logo is gold stamped on most products, on some it is blind embossed (not colour embossing).
Gold stamping is subject to wear and tear and will fade and or change with time. The gold foil material is delicate - it is heat pressed into the leather but by no means indestructible. Depending on how you wear your bag the gold foil may wear faster. For example a wallet in and out of a pocket several times a day will wear quickly. A gold foil logo on a handbag will fade and wear with use - this is normal.
