Every season, without fail, the hair-on leather styles sell out first. Before we've finished the campaign. Before some customers have even seen them.

I get questions about it constantly. What is it, exactly? Is it what it sounds like? How is it made? Is it ethical? Why does it look different from pair to pair?

Here's everything you need to know.

What hair-on leather actually is

Hair-on leather, sometimes called hair-on hide is exactly what it sounds like. It's leather where the natural hair of the animal remains on the hide rather than being removed during processing.

In most leather production, the hair is removed early in the tanning process. With hair-on leather, the hair is preserved and finished as part of the material. The result is a leather that retains the natural pattern, texture and colour of the animal's coat.

At Millwoods, we use it in two prints: Leopard and Black and White Cow Print. Both are made from bovine hide, calfskin, and the pattern you see is completely natural. No printing. No dyeing of the pattern itself. What you're looking at is the real coat.

Why no two pairs are identical

This is one of the things I love most about hair-on leather. Because the pattern comes from a natural hide, every single pair is slightly different. The placement of the leopard spots and the distribution of black and white in the cow print vary from piece to piece.

Your pair is genuinely unique. There is no other pair exactly like it.

This is also why it's impossible to guarantee specific pattern placement on an order. If the toe of your shoe has more spots than the heel, that's not a manufacturing inconsistency. That's the leather.

How to care for hair-on leather

Hair-on leather needs a little more care than standard leather, but it's not complicated.

Brush lightly with the direction of the hair never against it, to keep the coat lying flat. If it gets wet, allow it to dry naturally away from direct heat. Don't use standard leather conditioner on the hair-on surface; instead, use a specialist hair-on product or simply leave it to rest between wears.

Store them in the dust bag they arrive in, hair-side up, away from direct sunlight.

Why we make it in small batches

Hair-on leather is harder to source than standard leather, and the quality varies significantly between suppliers. We work with one tannery that produces the specific weight and finish we need, and they supply in limited quantities.

This is why the styles sell out and stay out. It's not a strategy. When the stock is gone, we have to wait for the next allocation from the tannery, and there's no guarantee the patterns will be identical to the previous run.

If you've been thinking about the Leopard flat or the Cow Print that's your sign. We can't tell you when we'll have it again.

Shop hair-on leather styles — Leopard and Cow Print, while stock lasts.