Harvard Handmade Raw Yak Leather & Cotton Bag

Description

Our ethical range of organic YAK raw leather & Cotton bags is all handmade in Nepal following organic tanning and traditional crafting practices.

All the handmade cotton fabric/cloth used is hand woven in Nepal using traditional craft techniques.

Mountain YAK is used as a source of Transportation and Milk in Snow hill/Mountain regions in Nepal; however the hide is usually discarded. With the ‘raw leather’ method the unused hides are treated so they can be used to make bags, thereby minimizing waste and providing a source of income. Mountain YAK hides is very tough and because of this the process of softening is a long one. The hides are soaked together with a special type of leaf for 40-60 days. The hide is then removed from the water and the layers are stripped apart. These layers of hide are still tough at the end of the soaking period. So they are then massaged with vegetable oil and the workers use their feet to stamp on the hides, similar to the process of crushing grapes for making wine.

Store your bag in a well-lit area. Because this is an all-natural product it can develop mould if left in a cold and dark place. This can easily be remedied by wiping the surface with a brush and rubbing in a little vegetable oil to protect it. The color of the bag will deepen and change with use and age. This is a part of the special character and charm of raw leather.

A by-product of the meat & Cotton industry employs

The lowest caste Earthquake victim

 Members – leather workers

Tanned using leaves and barks from local trees and shrubs

Cut and crafted entirely by hand

Oiled with mustard oil to finish and soften

Why YAK Leather

The leather of the Yaks, an Asiatic highland bovine, is mainly used in shoe and boot production because of its strong and smooth nature, but also we started for manufacturing unique Bags.

Of a total of number Yaks worldwide, around 90% live in Himalayan range Country of Mount Everest, Nepal and Mongolia-Tibet.

The former Nepalese nomads had been processing the skins traditionally into Bags, belts and many other things (Please, See Description Tab further).

Due to the adverse living conditions of the YAK animals in Nepal (cold, wind, snow), Yak leather is denser in the fiber structure than typical cow/buffalo leather. Therefore, Yak leather requires only half of the thickness to achieve the same heat insulation and toughness of bovine leather. Nevertheless, the Traditional processing of Yak leather is not easy, since the Yak has extensive grease deposits in the depths of the skin which help the animal survive in the low temperatures of the Himalayas. However, this is a rather undesirable condition for the leather quality, since the skin becomes uneven and fibrous in deeper layers.

Also, on Cotton mix Bags all the cotton fabric/cloth and leather used is hand woven in Nepal using traditional craft techniques.

These results in higher production costs, which is reflected in the fact that good handmade raw Yak leather & hand woven Cotton bags is unique brands itself.