Conceria La Bretagna

Located in the heart of Tuscany between Pisa and Florence, La Bretagna remains operated by the founding Testi family including Giovanni, Paolo, and Simone Testi. As a member of the Genuine Italian Vegetable-Tanned Leather Consortium since its establishment, the tannery produces leather for footwear, leather goods, belts, furniture, and other applications using exclusively plant-based tanning agents.

Giovanni Testi established Conceria La Bretagna in 1961 at age 21, beginning operations with only two tanning drums in Ponte a Egola, a town in the San Miniato municipality of Tuscany. The company has remained in the Testi family for over 40 years, with operations continuing at the original Tuscan location between the cities of Pisa and Florence.

The tannery joined the Genuine Italian Vegetable-Tanned Leather Consortium, an organization founded on October 17, 1994 by eleven companies from the Pisa-Florence tanning region. The consortium has since expanded to include 28 member tanneries dedicated to vegetable tanning standards.

La Bretagna specializes exclusively in vegetable tanning, avoiding all chemical tanning agents in favor of plant-based materials. The tanning process uses extracts from renewable plant sources including bark, fruits, leaves, and wood. Hides undergo slow tanning in baths of plant extracts and water for extended periods, producing leather with natural characteristics.

The resulting leather exhibits metal-free composition, making it hypoallergenic, non-toxic, and fireproof. The material develops natural thermoregulating properties that improve with use over time. When exposed to water, vegetable-tanned leather maintains its shape and accepts printing readily. Production includes leather thicknesses ranging from 0.8mm to 4.2mm.

The tannery sources nearly all of its raw hides from the Brittany region of France, known in Italian as La Bretagna. This French connection provides the tannery with its distinctive name while establishing a reliable supply chain for quality materials. La Bretagna works with various hide types including shoulders, butts, and half-calf hides.

La Bretagna applies a 100% aniline finish using transparent aniline dyes that preserve the unique texture of full-grain leather. The Vachetta leather line incorporates animal fats including tallow and natural vegetable oils during processing. This finishing approach maintains the natural grain pattern while enhancing the leather's suppleness and aging characteristics.

The tannery produces several distinct leather lines for different applications. The "Aged" and "Arizona" lines have achieved recognition as bestsellers in the company's catalog. The "Vera Greased Cow with Sego" leather serves the footwear and leather goods markets. The "Invecchiato" line provides leather with an aged appearance suitable for heritage applications.

In 2020, La Bretagna completed development of its Cowboy leather line, inspired by a trip to the heart of Texas. This Vachetta-style leather resembles typical "Crazy Horse" leathers with earth tones and a waxy touch. Softer than traditional bridle and harness leathers, Cowboy leather is available in five colors: Tobacco, Black, Chocolate, Marmalade, and Grey.

La Bretagna leather serves multiple industries and product categories. Primary applications include footwear construction and leather goods manufacturing. The material is used for belts and saddlery equipment. Additional applications extend to furniture upholstery, flooring and tiles, marine environments, small leather goods, bookbinding, and home decor accessories.

Buckleguy serves as the United States distributor for La Bretagna leather products, providing access to North American craftspeople and manufacturers.