BAZAAR | PROMOTION
Clockwisefrom top left: a selection of
dyed leathers; the classic Soft 8
sneaker; ‘Ella’ bag made from ECCO
leather suede, $229.95; leather
production in ECCO’s owned tanneries;
the classic Soft 8 sneaker remade with
DriTan; shoe manufacturing.CCO Leather’s design philosophy may put
function beforeform,but that doesn’t make the
shoes and accessories that are crafted from its
leatheranylessstylish.In fact, the brand’s focus on
sustainabilityandwearability is part of what makes
riesso covetable.
ECCOLeathertansmorethanone million hides per year to
supply thousands of international brands. Last year, the
manufacturer took its first step towards waterfree leather
manufacturing, unveiling a commemorative edition of its
classic Soft 8 sneaker that had been made with the company’s
new DriTan technology. This game-changing tech comes in at
a key part of the leather tanning process to utilise the moisture
that already exists in the hides, with a result that is
indistinguishable from traditionally tanned leather.
“DriTan is just the first step in our ambitious scheme to
make the entire leather manufacturing process waterfree,” says
Thomas Gøgsig, head of applied research at ECCO. “Our
starting point came down to one fundamental
question: how can we tan in a world of increasing
water scarcity?”
The history of tanning goes back 10,000 years,
and it was thought to be impossible without the use
of water. Now, DriTan saves huge amounts of it:
20 litres per hide, which is equal to 25 million litres
of water saved annually, which is enough to keep
more than 9000 people hydrated for one year.
DriTan is the result of five years of research and
development, plus a “strong cocktail of science,
know-how and traditional craft”, says Gøgsig. “You
don’t need to invest in new equipment; you don’t
have to look for new chemicals. You just use what is
already available, only in a different way. Tanning is
a very old and traditional industry, so people tend to
forget to ask whether it can be done differently.”
Form, function and sustainability practices? Now
that’s a design philosophy to get behind. D r iTan
sneaker available in Australia early 2020; au.ecco.com.
ECO
WA R R IOR
ECCO Leather’s ambitious
journey to eliminate water
from leather manufacturing