Conceria Orice — The Tannery That Brought Back a Forgotten Leather

August 30, 2026

Some traditional techniques get modernized.

Others get replaced, abandoned, and forgotten.

This is the story of a historical leathercraft technique that almost disappeared — until a small Tuscan tannery decided to bring it back to life.

1. A Leather Type Left Behind

In the early 1920s, a unique style of vegetable-tanned leather was widely crafted across Italy.

Then industrial chrome tanning arrived — offering a process that was faster, cheaper, and far easier to scale for mass production.

One by one, tanneries switched over, and this traditional leather technique slowly faded from commercial production.

2. Revived, Not Reinvented

Founded in Ponte a Egola in January 1980, Conceria Orice took on the challenge of restoring this forgotten process.

Rather than inventing a synthetic alternative, they researched, studied, and rebuilt a time-honored methodology that had simply been left behind.

More than four decades later, this family business still operates in the heart of Tuscany, keeping historical tanning methods alive.

3. Checked and Certified, Not Just Claimed

Conceria Orice holds prestigious Leather Working Group (LWG) certification, awarded following rigorous independent environmental audits.

They also hold official certification for genuine Italian vegetable-tanned leather.

4. Cleaner Production by Design

Orice combines historical craftsmanship with modern environmental responsibility.

The tannery developed advanced filtration and treatment systems to significantly reduce waste chemicals in wastewater, capturing biological hide material before it reaches public municipal drains.

It is true heritage craft paired with conscientious modern manufacturing.

5. What That Means on Your Wrist

Our HMS Apollo watch strap is crafted using authentic full-grain leather straight from Conceria Orice.

HMS Tip 💡

Look for named tanneries with verifiable certifications: Conceria Orice.

LWG-certified tanneries ensure that heritage leather techniques are practiced alongside strict modern environmental standards.

At HMS, we name our tanneries because a watch strap should carry a verifiable story.