Field Notes: Harvest 3-Pack Limited Edition

At ColsenKeane Leather we are obsessed with using the best hides in the world. We only use full grain leather, which is the highest quality leather you can get, far superior to the “genuine leather” commonly used by larger brands. 

What is Full Grain Leather?

The strongest and most durable part of the hide of an animal is just below the hair. The grain pattern in this part of the hide is very tight, and the leather made from here is called "full-grain" leather. Full-grain leather is the strongest and most durable leather. Additionally, since the grain is so tight, it resists moisture very well. Over time, full-grain leather will develop a patina from being handled. 

What Causes Natural Markings on a Hide?

Common leather markings present Full Grain hides often exhibit shading variations, healed scratches, neck wrinkles, insect bites, barbed wire marks, stretch marks, vein marks and brands. We take care to select the highest quality and best presenting sections of each hide for our larger items, such as bags. All of these distinct markings are part of the unique look that each of our pieces express. If you are looking for “perfect,” unmarked leather, then you are looking for a hide that has been overly treated, with the character and quality of the hide depleted. Choose quality and leather as unique and distinctive as you.

What is "pull-up?"

Leather "pull up" is when leather is stretched, folded or pulled, and the hide color becomes lighter in those areas as a result.

What is Patina?

Leather Patina is a natural aging effect caused by everyday use and wear of leather. It produces a darkening and soft sheen that enriches the look of leather goods. Exposure to dirt, body oils, sunlight, and spills give the leather a unique character that will develop over time.

At ColsenKeane Leather we are obsessed with using the best hides in the world. We only use full grain leather, which is the highest quality leather you can get, far superior to the “genuine leather” commonly used by larger brands. 

What is Full Grain Leather?

The strongest and most durable part of the hide of an animal is just below the hair. The grain pattern in this part of the hide is very tight, and the leather made from here is called "full-grain" leather. Full-grain leather is the strongest and most durable leather. Additionally, since the grain is so tight, it resists moisture very well. Over time, full-grain leather will develop a patina from being handled. 

What Causes Natural Markings on a Hide?

Common leather markings present Full Grain hides often exhibit shading variations, healed scratches, neck wrinkles, insect bites, barbed wire marks, stretch marks, vein marks and brands. We take care to select the highest quality and best presenting sections of each hide for our larger items, such as bags. All of these distinct markings are part of the unique look that each of our pieces express. If you are looking for “perfect,” unmarked leather, then you are looking for a hide that has been overly treated, with the character and quality of the hide depleted. Choose quality and leather as unique and distinctive as you.

What is "pull-up?"

Leather "pull up" is when leather is stretched, folded or pulled, and the hide color becomes lighter in those areas as a result.

What is Patina?

Leather Patina is a natural aging effect caused by everyday use and wear of leather. It produces a darkening and soft sheen that enriches the look of leather goods. Exposure to dirt, body oils, sunlight, and spills give the leather a unique character that will develop over time.

MEET OUR COW HIDES

"CRAZY HORSE"

Our "Crazy Horse" leather is a U.S.-sourced and Chrome Tanned Full Grain cowhide that’s made by applying special purpose waxes to the surface. These waxes are melted and migrated under frictional heat. As a result, when the leather surface is rubbed, the color of the rubbed portion changes.This exhibits an antique effect. The oils and colors seem to burst from the hide. Over time and with use, this hide develops a beautiful patina; darkening where the bag receives the most friction, with a soft sheen. Crazy Horse is quintessential ColsenKeane, and by far our most popular hide.

"HAVANA BROWN"

This hide is a U.S.-sourced cowhide that has been vegetable tanned. What might be considered a very traditional brown, the hue has highs and lows of rich, reddish brown coloring throughout. "Havana Brown" is for the refined, the professional, the timeless. This hide imbues every ColsenKeane product with a classic feel, making it an ideal option for those seeking a timeless look.

"NATURAL TAN"

Our "Natural Tan" leather is a Full Grain cowhide that takes someone who has a vision to watch their leather piece literally change every day. Because this leather has almost no protective coating and is essentially a blank slate, it absorbs every bit of its surroundings (rain drops, the oils in your hands, the spilled tea, etc.) The light and sun will literally “suntan” the hide to a beautiful copper patina. For the person who longs for their leather piece to tell the story of where they have been, Natural Tan is for you. The below photo shows how natural tan leather starts (shown on the fender) and what it will look like as it ages (shown on the left). 

"BURNT SIENNA"

"Burnt Sienna" is a gorgeous U.S. cowhide that is buttery soft to the touch. This golden medium brown has a rich, amber-colored pull-up, and is beautifully finished and smells even better. The softness lends itself well to small leather goods like clutches and totes, and will form like a glove around what you choose to carry in it. (***photo depicts a No. 918 Campbell Crossbody made from Burnt Sienna, and featuring Relaxed Mahogany straps.) 

DENALI LEATHERS: Brown, Black, or Tan

"DEEP BLACK"

MEET OUR BUFFALO HIDES

"GLAZED TAN"

"Glazed Tan" is a beautiful, full aniline belting leather made of high quality, Full Grain Water Buffalo hide. This leather is likely the toughest of our hides - it is insanely durable. Each hide (and portion of a hide!) is completely unique due to the variegated, crackled finish. Each product made from Glazed Tan can contain smooth darker portions, with less crackle, or lighter, more crackled areas. Colors within the Glazed Tan hide range from dark, deep brown to light shades of orange. Each piece is truly a one-of-a-kind.

Make a bold statement with this primary red Buffalo hide. Its bright, saturated shade offers an outstanding pop of color for any Satchel or accessory, and with nearly no pull up, this hide is fully saturated. 

Just a little fine print: Color setting vary greatly on each monitor therefore, we cannot guarantee that your monitor's display of any particular color will be 100% accurate.

We offer optional monogramming on our leather products. Please note that we use only one font: all minimalist capital letters that measure 1/4" tall (see photos below for reference). As such, we recommend you use a [first initial/middle initial/last initial] format. 

Please note that our monograms, just like the crafting of all of our leather products, are done by hand. As such, please allow room for slight imperfections as that is, indeed, part of the hand-crafted experience.

In the interest of accuracy, we do not advise using more than 3-4 letters, at most. The cost of monogramming is $20 for up to 3 letters. Any letters over 3 are an additional $5 per letter. 

We're sorry, but we do not monogram any non-ColsenKeane products.

We appreciate that you value traditional hand craftsmanship, durable thick-cut construction, and the quality you can't find in a big-box store or massive e-commerce corporations. Your leather goods from ColsenKeane will be unlike any others you've purchased; each is given to a leathersmith to cut, punch, and stitch by hand after your order is placed.

Please understand that as such, we ask for a minimum of 14 business days to produce your order to our standards. If there is a particular deadline you need your order to be crafted by, please let us know right away by emailing us at info@colsenkeane.com and we will provide options for a payable rush fee in order to prioritize your order.

We do not currently offer free returns to overseas customers. You will therefore need to cover all costs of returning any items to us yourself. We advise that you mark your package ‘returned goods’ to avoid further duties. Remember: We strongly recommend that you return any items via a registered trackable service and obtain and retain proof of posting as we do not accept responsibility for items that fail to arrive with us.

Returns

• Items meeting condition for return or exchange will be accepted within the first 15 days of you receiving your purchase.

• No refunds or exchanges after 15 days, no exceptions.

• Holiday returns deadline is January 10th.

• Items must be returned in un-used condition with studio packing intact. All returns must include your order number and full name. It’s helpful if you print the email communication regarding your return and include that in the packaging.

• Customer is responsible for return shipping cost. If you received Free Shipping on your order, the refund amount will be the order value minus the amount ColsenKeane paid to ship the item to you. For example, if your Item was $195 and qualified for free shipping, but ColsenKeane paid $10 to ship the item to you, then your refund amount (once your item is received back) would be $185. 

• No returns offered on: There will be no returns on custom orders; no returns on any monogrammed orders; and no returns on bags with optional features, such as backpack, rollerboard, upgraded Copper buckles, and/or newspaper pocket options. There will be no returns offered on any bags purchased from our Seasoned Collection, or any items from our Final Sale section.

• Belts: There are no refunds on belts, which are custom cut to order. If all steps were taken for a proper fit and it’s still not quite right, we can offer an exchange for another size, provided that the belt you wish to return does not have a monogram. Please email us at info@colsenkeane.com first should you wish to exchange and meet all of the criteria to do so. Return your belt to us at the return address listed below and include a check for the $25 restocking fee, or request an invoice.

• Please use a reliable shipping carrier with tracking, and insure your package. We are not responsible for any lost goods in the mail.  

• Gift cards are not eligible for return/refund.

Ship eligible returns to:

ColsenKeane Leather Returns
1707 E 7th St
Charlotte, NC 28204

Refunds: In the event that we have agreed to issue a refund for your return, we will do so as a credit to your original form of payment. Once the refund is sent, you will receive an email confirmation of the transaction to the email address associated with your order. If you don't see that confirmation email, please check your Spam folder prior to contacting us again. If you believe you have not received your refund in a reasonable amount of time following the credit, first check your bank account, then contact your credit card company (or PayPal, if applicable). Please note that both require processing time that we do not control. If you've used an app like Sezzle to finance your purchase, these credits usually take the longest to appear. In all events, you will need to work with the other institutions to follow up on your credits. 

Yes! ColsenKeane Guarantee
We take pride that our hand-crafted leather products are crafted with such care and quality that we will stand behind the quality and workmanship of our goods for their lifetime. We provide a guarantee to the original owner against defects in materials and workmanship of our leather goods, with normal use. If your product fails due to a defect in materials or workmanship, we will repair or replace it for free, in most circumstances. Our warranty does not cover any damage caused by neglect, improper use or abuse, accidental damage, or anything outside of normal wear and tear.
Should you have an issue with your ColsenKeane item, please reach out to us at info@colsenkeane.com with a description of the trouble; include specific photos of the area in question as well. We will reply with next steps. Customer is responsible for return shipment to our studios for repair.

The Care & Keeping of Your ColsenKeane Leather Good:

So you bought a new Satchel and you're wondering how to take care of it?

You don't need to do anything at all for at least 4-6 months. Your leather good comes packed with the oils it needs to perform.

At the 4-6 month mark, we recommend a gently applied coat of Saddle Soap (available for purchase here). We suggest you do this with our Liquid Saddle Soap.  

Please note that an application of Saddle Soap will darken the leather, just like age and patina does.

1. To apply Saddle Soap, take a clean soft cloth and gently apply the solution in a circular motion into your leather good.  You may wish to begin at the bottom of the bag, in order to see how the Saddle Soap will affect the hide.

2. Let it dry 2-3 hours, or overnight if you want to be certain and it's ready to go.

3. Reapply again every 3-4 months. 

We can only recommend Saddle Soap on our products. Though you may surely be able to use them on other leather goods purchased elsewhere, or on larger items like chairs or sofas, we can not guarantee the results and therefore would not be able to recommend it. 

Should your Satchel have some years and wear-and-tear on it, you may need a small overhaul. In that case, let us refresh your Satchel for you.
We offer a Refresh Your Satchel package during which we will give your well-loved ColsenKeane Satchel a thorough once-over and cleaning. We will use our liquid glycerine saddle soap to thoroughly clean and condition your bag; carefully inspecting each rivet and each stitch and repairing anything found, to ensure the continued integrity of your go-to companion. 

Purchase the package at the above linked page. Ship your Satchel to us safely at the following address:

ColsenKeane

Refresh Your Satchel Program

1707 E. 7th St.

Charlotte, NC 28204

Please include your full name, phone number, and order number. Once complete, we will ship your bag back to you as quickly as possible. 

No, we do not work on any outside leather.