IHSB-BIGBUCK-BLK - Black Deerskin Western Shirt - The Big Buck
-
@Barbarian:
…
Unfortunately I also have to say that I was really dissapointed about the leather quality of this shirt.
It feels amazing, no question. But there where severe marks on it, one was nearly a hole where the leather was really thin.Perhaps better Alcantara with the next shirt @Barbarian Dave ?
A few thoughts about this leather for those cityslickers…
The leather is made of hides from deers living in the woods and mountains of Germany and Austria. They are no livestock and not kept in barns like cows. They run through woods and across the hills, the male have antlers and fight with each other during rutting season. Of course they get wounded and get scars. These animals are smaller than cows, the hides therefore are smaller too. Deer are shot by hunters. Usually the younger and smaller ones are shot because of the meat being easier to use. The big males are shot more seldom and mainly because of their huge antlers. It is therefore difficult to get larger pieces of leather without any scars. This is no problem with the traditional Lederhosen which are made of several small pieces but difficult for shirts and jackets... not to forget the bullet-hole.
The tanning is done in an old and traditional way the so called Sämischgerbung. The tannery making the hides for Ironheart is the last one in Germany and there are only a few others left in Austria. Tanning this way is enormously labour-intensive and time-consuming. For those german-speaking:
https://www.gerberei-kolesch.de/herstellung This is no industrial tanning the result is a super soft but hard-wearing leather but again with a sometimes uneven result keeping the natural surface of the hide alive.
The tanning results in a beige-coloured leather (you can see it on the inside of the shirts). The dyeing again is then a very labour-intense process. The natural dyes are applied to the surface by hand with brushes several times. The leather is not dip-dyed, the colour is only on the surface and the leather does not absorb the dye consistently leading again to a sometimes uneven result. From the starting point with the tanning process to the final leather it takes at least one year! This is not just leather it is a cultural heritage... just like traditional Japanese indigo dyeing perhaps. I think everyone getting one of these shirts should have that in mind and treat it with respect to the animal that hide he is wearing and the people behind the making... -
@Chap As an owner of one of these magnificent shirts, thank you! It was easily my most worn shirt last season, and with the temperatures dropping has already been worn a few times this season.
I’m glad you’ve been instrumental in this shirt/process and the story makes it just a little more special.
-
What are the instructions to take care of this product if sweating wearing it ? can we wash it ?
-
I hand washed my Big Buck with no ill effects. Cold water, hand wash, minimal detergent. When I took mine out of the tub, I gently laid it on a towel and blotted it dry with another dry towel to absorb excess water. At no point did I try to squeeze the water out and I kept the shirt as flat as possible during the process. It took a full day for it to dry at room temperature (no sun).
Mine is as soft and maybe just a little softer than when I first received it.
These are just my observations…
Please note: I had a knot in my stomach the entire time during this process and did it as an experiment. It worked for me, but during the process I can definitely see where it could go wrong. If you try to squeeze the leather to remove excess water or wring it dry, you will stretch the leather out of shape and there is no way (that I know of) to return it back to it's previous shape.
Please use this with caution and I take no responsibility if your results do not turn out the same….
-
Thanks for the share @goosehd, i will give it a try when it will start being really dirty, did you get some patina evolutions after wearing it for a whole season ?
-
Really great insight [mention]Chap [/mention] This shirt is on my radar and knowing this makes me want it even more.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
-
-
@Chap, I have only now discovered this Big Buck's existence. Peerless.
You wear it well, and I also love the bits of your environment that are in the background shots here.
You have an overload of style.
All excellence. -
We are going to restock some of these today. The leather takes so long to come from Germany, and we have been sitting on a lot of these for a while, waiting for the remainder to arrive. I decided today that we would put what we can of ours online today, then fulfil the retailer orders from the next batch. We will get a handful more after that too, so if you miss this drop, there will be more following.
-
Got my 3XL, the only hard part was deciding between the black or olive...and before someone says just get both - not sure the wife would be super thrilled about that idea lol.
