HIDE Show – Stitchdown Boot Camp 2025

This year at Boot Camp, we spent a good amount of time at the HIDE Show. It was held at Artifact Events in Chicago and brought together several tanneries and leather suppliers. Many of them are tanneries we already work with, so it was a chance to reconnect, look at new runs, and handle some leathers we are considering for future builds.

Horween, Gallun, Conceria Maryam, Wickett and Craig, Law Tanning, and Seidel were all there. Since the show took place the day before Boot Camp officially kicked off, we had the time and space to actually sit with the leather.

Being able to pick up the leather, bend it, feel the weight, and study the grain up close is always valuable. You get a quick read on how a hide will break in, how it will crease, how much give it has, and how the color will shift with wear. Those are things that are hard to judge online or from small swatches.

We also had the chance to talk about tanning processes, current stock availability, and production timelines, which is always helpful for planning and development.

I have attached a few photos of some of the hides that were on display.