Dear friends of the House Meindl, real suede has always been more than just a material for our family. For many decades we have been dedicating ourselves to ehe traditional processing of this material. My father Hannes, his brother Alfons and of course my grandfather Lukas Meindl placed great importance on the maintenance and conservation of this unique material.
This leather is, now more than ever, a material that deserves trust and respect.
For centuries it has proven its value, reliability and highly emotional affect. Nowadays there are only very few specialists left who master the ancient adaptation and processing of high quality leather. Since generations we have been cooperating closely and exclusively with our tanneries. By these means we can guarantee consistent qualicy at the highest technical and ecological level. Our products stand for incorporated sustainabilicy.
You and the future generations will enjoy them. In our fast-moving times, there aren‘t many products which convey these values. Therefore it is my wish to share our passion for leather and the unique products we manufacture for you.
I sincerely hope you enjoy the World of Meindl, with best regards,
Markus Meindl
From rawhide into leather
The chamois tanning is a procedure which goes back thousands of years. A great deal of experience and manual work is required to prepare leather from the hide. The tanners need 3-4 months to produce this unique quality product.
The starting point is the skin the tanner gets from the hunter. The tanner salts the hides to preserve them. Residual flesh and hair are mechanically removed in further processing. Thereafter the hair roots are placed in a liquid made of limestone to loosen them.After removing the grain (the hair side of the skin), you get a fine grained non-preserved leather, the so-called limed hide.The leather is then washed again to remove any remaining lime. This is the point where the actual procedure of tanning begins.
The skins are rubbed by hand with cod-liver oil. The oil is worked into the skin using intensive mechanical cranking and tapping. Then the skin is hung up to dry.This procedure is repeated until the skin is completely streaked with oil.Afterwards any excess oil is washed out with a 1% sodium carbonate solution.
Once this process is finished – by letting the wet skins dry in the sun – the leather will develop its chamois yellowish white colour. Not chemical bleaching agents but the nature gives the leather this typical colour. The skins are dried after the bleaching, subsequently put into the milling machine and then softened up in the staking machine (mechanical washing machine).After that, the skins are ground with different sanding papers until the velvety effect of velours is reached. Only then is the leather ready to be dyed.
Each skin is an experience
Nothing is connected more with our alpine culture than hunting. Hunting deer, roe deer, chamois and ibex. Products which are made of the skins and horns have been accompanying us since generations.The hunt is an unbelievable experience, linked to old traditions and rituals. Regulated times for hunting, trustful interaction with the deer and also the task to regulate the population in accordance with the fair hunting philosophy, give the deer the chance to live their lifes in their natural environment.
Our tanneries gather the skins of the hunted animals and process them using ancient artisan methods. The shortest possible ways and sustainable production methods guarantee a genuine chamois leather productwith a long tradition and unique characteristics.Each skin an unicum. We are proud to have the experience needed to manufacture worthy products out of these unique animals’ skins – in order to retain this culture.
As before thousands of years, the colours are applied and brushed in by hand. Colour – by which we mean wood colorants. Redwood, logwood, yellow wood.These colours are extracts from Central American woods. The elaborately produced extracts from the waste of the trees are applied by hand and worked into the leather with the help of a brush. Up to 5 working cycles are necessary to obtain the individual colours. The colours are applied only on the hair side of the skin, the flesh side retains its original colour. Pure nature without preservatives and chemicals.
With a unique and timeless beauty.
With an astonishing sensitivity and perception for the leather, the most suitable deer is chosen for each product. Time and experience drive the process of sorting according to our quality standards.Nowadays there are certificates and DIN standards for everything.
Here, the master leather craftsman still works as thousands of years ago. His experience is crucial for a perfect product. It is for this very reason that most of our employees have been working with us for many decades.
The combination of manufacturing and technology
We develop and test every product carefully, hand in hand with the latest technology.Passion, experience and know-how are needed to prepare the products for the demands of our time.
Training, education and a fine sense for design are essential for implementing ideas and drafts for the perfect fit. Everything from one source. That is our philosophy. “Wherever Meindl is written, Meindl is also in it.”We and our staff have been living up to that responsibility for many generations.
A great deal of experience and pure craftmanship is required to tailor a jacket out of 2-4 deer (8-10 roe deer) or trousers out of 2 deer (4 roe deer). A jacket is composed of up to 40 different parts and trousers of up to 20.
