I recently bought a bundle of "saffiano" hides from Springfield Leather in the US. I have limited experience with this leather and am questioning if it's real! The back looks like some kind of fabric, and there are small areas where you can see there's a layer of leather- or is it vinyl - glued to the fabric. I'm not sure maybe this is part of the process, but I can't make an unlined bag with these, and ... IS IT REAL? Thanks!! I;m only showing the bad parts of the hides. They are truly beautiful colors otherwise !~!
This isnt Saffiano, it is what is referred to as "Epsom" (actually Hermes's name for it). There is no such thing as "real" epsom as there are many tanneries that produce this exact embossed finish. The back side is the flesh side of the leather, nothing is glues to it. You see like a pattern to it from the embossing process and what you see as the top layer from the back where its cut is the heavily coated and embossed top layer of the skin. Hope this helps.