Leather Fashion Outside of Italy

India: Where Leather Has Shaped Culture & Tradition

Perhaps no other region is as synonymous with leather as India. This South Asian nation has a long and rich history with the material, dating back thousands of years. In fact, the earliest evidence of the use of leather in fashion has been found in the Indus Valley Civilization, a group of people that lived in what is now modern-day India around 6000 BCE. Historians believe that the Indus people began working with leather as a source of clothing as well as ritualistic items because it was so readily available to them. For millennia, India has been a major producer and exporter of leather thanks to its large cattle population, which has been used to produce leather since at least 1000 BCE. Even today, India’s leather industry is the largest in the world, worth over $30 billion annually. This industry is largely credited with the diversification and development of the Indian textile industry, as well as its rise as a major economic power in the 20th century. The relationship between Indian culture and leather is more than just economic, however. It also extends to the country’s religious beliefs as well. In Hinduism, for example, the cow is viewed as sacred. Many believe that the animal has been a part of Indian civilization for over 5,000 years. While the animal is largely used for dairy products and agriculture, the cow is also used for its hide to create a variety of leather goods including shoes, bags, and of course, clothing.

Sweden: Where Eco-Friendly Fashion is Key

If you were to pick a country that might not immediately come to mind as the epicenter of leather fashion, Sweden might not be the first choice. However, this Nordic nation has an eye-catching leather fashion culture that is well worth discussing. In many ways, Sweden is the opposite of India. Rather than focusing on a culture of leather used, Sweden’s fashion industry has a reputation for being eco-friendly and sustainable. This eco-friendly approach to design is largely due to the fact that Sweden features a cold, humid climate that is ill-suited for the use of leather. Because of this, the country has traditionally leaned towards the use of materials like wool, fur, and linen. However, there is a growing push amongst the Swedish fashion community to reintegrate leather into the country’s design lexicon. This is largely due to the fact that the country has become increasingly aware of the environmental impact that its design choices have on the natural world.

Indonesia: Where Tradition Meets Modernity

Like India, Indonesia is a country that has a long and rich history with the use of leather. In fact, archaeologists believe that the people of Indonesia were working with leather as far back as the 12th century CE. While the primary use for this leather was for religious purposes, the material was also used for clothing amongst certain groups. If you visit Indonesia today, you will see that this longstanding connection with leather has had a lasting impact on the country’s fashion scene. In particular, the traditional Javanese and Balinese cultures have a strong connection with leather. Javanese culture in particular is known for its use of ornate decorations made out of leather, such as the Tengkorak headdress worn by Javanese gamelan musicians. Balinese culture, on the other hand, is known for its leather puppets, often used in traditional dance performances.

Australia: Where Aboriginal Culture Shapes Design

Like India and Indonesia, Australia has a long history with the use of leather. In fact, certain studies suggest that Aboriginal peoples in Australia were working with the material as far back as 30,000 years ago. Although leather from this time period has not yet been discovered, archaeologists have found evidence indicating that Aboriginal Australians were using the skins of kangaroos, snakes, and goannas to create a variety of different items including shields and bags. In more modern times, there has been a push to incorporate the Aboriginal culture into modern Australian leather design. As a result, you can now find a wide array of products made out of kangaroo leather, including bags, boots, belts, and more.

Conclusion

Italy has long been the epicenter of the global leather fashion industry, but this hasn’t always been the case. For centuries, other regions have played a significant role in supplying various areas of the world with leather garments. In this blog post, we’ve explored some lesser-known examples of leather fashion from outside of Italy that are just as impressive as what you would expect to see coming from Florence or Venice. From India to Australia, let’s look at where else leather has thrived beyond Italian borders.