Ostrich leather

Material created by tanning ostrich skin

Ostrich leather is the result of tanning skins taken from African ostriches farmed for their feathers, skin and meat. The leather is distinctive for its pattern of bumps or vacant quill follicles, ranged across a smooth field in varying densities. It requires an intricate, specialised and expensive production process making its aesthetic value costly. Although the first commercial farming began in South Africa in 1850, the industry collapsed after World War I and the drop in demand for the feathers for fashionable hats and military uniforms. Other products were marketed, with each success battered by world events and droughts until now, when ostrich skin is globally available and seen as a luxury item in high end demand. Leather came late in the story of ostrich farming but after a tannery was set up onsite, it went on to make an impact in European haute couture and in the US for cowboy boots becoming widespread during the 1970s. Demand peaked in the 1980s. Availability was artificially limited when ostrich leather was subject to a cartel monopoly through trade sanctions, and single export and distribution channels until the end of apartheid in 1993. After that and other factors, the South African government began to export stock allowing other countries to have their own ranches. Although wider production resulted in competition and lower prices, Klein Karoo Group remains the leading global producer. There were estimated to be just under 500,000 commercially bred ostriches in the world in 2003, with around 350,000 of these in South Africa. Ostrich leather is regarded as an exotic leather product alongside crocodile, snake, lizard, camel, emu among others. Ostrich skins are the largest in terms of volumes traded in the global exotic skins market. The premium strain of ostrich is the "African Black", which originated on the ranches of South Africa through various forms of selective breeding. Horse drawn carriages made large, dramatic hats fashionable. Ostrich feathers are some of the most intricate and grandiose in the world so it only made sense to use them in this new rage. During this period of the late 19th and early 20th century, South African ostrich farmers made a fortune. Henry Ford began to mass produce the automobile which made large stylish hats for women virtually obsolete. The onset of World War I shut down the ostrich feather industry. The same barons who had been making a fortune soon found themselves on the verge of poverty.

Over the next 50 years the entire industry bottomed out and maintained a minimal presence in the world. This status quo would not last, however. In 1945 the Klein Karoo region near Oudtshoorn set up a cooperative of farmers and speculators ("KKLK") who would work together to rebuild the ostrich industry. Eventually the demand for ostrich meat locally grew to a point where an abattoir was needed. In 1963/64 the world's first ostrich abattoir was erected in Klein Karoo by the KKLK to supply dried and fresh ostrich meat locally. The marketing of ostrich skin started in 1969/1970 when a leather tannery was built near the abattoir. Prior to this, there was very little known about the tanning process of ostrich skin. Most likely, ostrich skins were sent from the abattoir to tanneries in England and then sold to fashion houses. It appears that a group of South African entrepreneurs set out earlier in the 1960s in search of ways to tan ostrich skin. "I will give anything to see ostrich skins used", said Gerhard Olivier. With Hannes Louw, Jurgens Schoeman and the tanner Johan Wilken, he traveled abroad for the first time in search of people who could tan ostrich leather. Arnold and Dianne de Jager, founders of a tannery in London, offered to train a tanner for Klein Karoo, and in 1970, the first ostrich skin tannery opened there.

Ostrich leather was instantly popular in high fashion throughout Europe and the United States where it was used for cowboy boots. Notably, during the 1980s, demand was extremely high in the United States. During this period, apartheid and other political turmoil caused some countries, the United States included, to put pressure on South Africa in the form of trade sanctions. The ostrich leather purveyors, brothers John G. Mahler and Wilfred Mahler of Dallas, Texas, were the only importers of ostrich skin for many years. Just like the single channel KKLK, who had a virtual monopoly on the exportation of the only viable ostrich skins, the Mahlers were able to control not only prices but also who got skins in the United States and how many they were allowed. The Mahlers' control was so absolute that some bootmakers would be reprimanded by John if they sold his skins to other bootmakers. This varies depending on production methods.

Traditionally, fashion has driven the demand for ostrich leather. Fashion houses successfully used ostrich leather in handbags for many years. Most designer brands have at least one purse made with ostrich leather. Footwear is another way in which designers showcase the material. By far the most widely used application is for ostrich leather boots. Just about every bootmaker uses ostrich and the demand for ostrich boots is higher than for any other ostrich leather product. Belts are another major accessory that utilize ostrich leather; most ostrich boots are purchased with a matching ostrich belt. There are other uses for ostrich leather notably shoes, wallets and jackets. Handbags and jackets are the highest priced due to the sheer amount of leather used. Designer handbags in ostrich leather are popular as many luxury designers such as Prada, Hermès, Smythson, Bottega Veneta and Gucci, continue to make fashion statements with their wares made of exotic skins. Louis Vuitton has also popularized the use of ostrich skins, especially part of their runway collections. In 2006, the classic Louis Vuitton Keepall 50 special ordered in an ostrich skin was $10,800. Although such items are expensive, people seek them out because they are simply beautiful and different. It is quite easy to recognize an ostrich handbag. Different geographic regions have different demands for ostrich leather. For instance, Japan has an especially strong market for ladies' handbags while the southern United States has many consumers of ostrich boots.

Ostrich leather has also made a name for itself within the street and skate cultures, as it has been featured on several skate shoes; most notably the Nike Dunk Low Pro SB "Ostrich." Aside from fashion designers, the automotive industry is a heavy user of ostrich leather. Car seats, dashboards, motorcycle seats, and door panels can all be covered or accented with ostrich leather. Most after market car and motorcycle shops can alter seats by applying ostrich leather as seat inserts. Many luxury car manufacturers offer ostrich leather seats from the factory. This practice is especially popular in European countries. During the 2008 2010 ostrich leather started to be used for sporting footwear. Well known Mexican soccer brands such as Pirma have adopted new range of ostrich leather soccer boots launched during the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.