Journal

Notes from the workshop.

Long-form reading on leather, provenance, tanning, the history of Paraguayan cattle ranching, and the people behind the hides we sell.

May 26, 2026 6 min read

Why We Don't Sell Exotic Leathers (And Where We Draw the Line)

Leather Latam's editorial stance on exotic skins — CITES species, farmed alligator, ostrich, python, stingray — and why cattle byproduct is different.

by Nicholas Glazer

May 18, 2026 9 min read

The Workshop Visit: Inside a Paraguayan Tannery

Two days inside an 80-year-old family tannery outside Encarnación — quebracho pits, hand-finishing, and three generations of Paraguayan vegetable tanning.

by Nicholas Glazer

May 8, 2026 7 min read Updated May 22, 2026

Shipping Leather From LatAm: Customs, Duties, Timelines

Country-by-country customs reality for buyers importing Latin American leather goods — duties, paperwork, timelines, and what the EU-Mercosur deal changed.

by Nicholas Glazer

April 26, 2026 8 min read

Why Handmade Costs More — And When It Shouldn't

Real workshop time studies, honest cost stacks, and the legal grey area behind handmade leather pricing — plus when machine work is genuinely better.

by Nicholas Glazer

April 15, 2026 10 min read

Buying Your First Heirloom Leather Bag

A decision framework for buying a leather bag built to last a decade: size, leather grade, hardware, stitching, weight, and how to test each at the counter.

by Nicholas Glazer

April 2, 2026 7 min read

The Patina Promise: How Leather Ages With You

The chemistry and culture of leather patina — why vegetable-tanned leather gets better with use and what to expect at 1, 5, and 10 years.

by Nicholas Glazer

March 19, 2026 9 min read

Ethics in Leather: A Source-Traceable Approach

How Leather Latam traces every hide to a named workshop, why leather-as-cattle-byproduct matters, and what we will and won't carry.

by Nicholas Glazer

March 5, 2026 10 min read

Leather Care: A 10-Year Maintenance Guide

A practical year-by-year guide to caring for full-grain, vegetable-tanned leather — what to do in year one, year ten, and what never to do.

by Nicholas Glazer

February 22, 2026 8 min read

How to Read a Leather Goods Label (And Spot the Marketing Lies)

A buyer's decoder for leather labels. What full-grain, top-grain, genuine, and bonded actually mean — with the visual tells and honest prices.

by Nicholas Glazer

February 8, 2026 8 min read

Vegetable-Tanned vs Chrome-Tanned: The Honest Comparison

A process-level comparison of vegetable and chrome tanning — chemistry, environmental cost, lifespan, patina, and when each is the right call.

by Nicholas Glazer

January 28, 2026 11 min read Updated April 19, 2026

The Latin American Leather Map: Country by Country

A trade-honest tour of Latin American leather — Paraguay, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Mexico — what each country is genuinely best known for.

by Nicholas Glazer

January 12, 2026 9 min read Updated May 8, 2026

The Real Story of Paraguayan Leather: Why the Chaco Matters

Paraguay raises more cattle per person than almost any nation on Earth and has tanned hides since the 1500s. Here is why the Chaco produces it.

by Nicholas Glazer