Just a two hour drive outside the city of Amsterdam is the incredibly cool Ecco leather tannery. It was a gorgeous misty day, with just a touch of snow. The team and I were freezing our butts off as we made our way to the tannery, but despite our rosy pink noses and shivering spines, the early morning drive was well worth it. We were greeted by Panos Mytaros himself, the genius behind ECCO leather. Gathered in the design room, I was blown away by the massive amounts of different pieces of leather lying around: neutrals, pastels, and brights! ECCO, being the leather supplier to top fashion labels around the world like Louis Vuitton and Coach, holds one of the best tanneries out there. I feel lucky to get to have been able to visit!I couldn't stop touching all the different leathers. I'm a huge fan of a great leather shoe or bag and so getting to see how all of this is made, from the very start, was exciting to me. We all had to first throw on plastic booties to protect our shoes as we made our way through the tannery making me, in my ECCO oxford heels, slip and slide! A great idea, as things do get a bit down and dirty hehe! There was so much to see: how the leather is first cleaned, cut, and prepared to be tanned into the perfect shade and eventually shaped with amazing textures. Panos's passion for what he does is very inspiring. Quality seems to be one of his main focuses. Also, I'm happy to note that ECCO will also be moving forward in the future with even more eco-friendly ways to improve the place. The fact that everything is tested in the labs so that there are no harmful chemicals in the products is also a plus in my book. So yeah, where can I get that boot?
