Mens Distressed Leather Belts

Distressed leather is new leather that goes through a tanning process to make it look like vintage leather. The term "distressed" refers to a process where different techniques like sanding, scraping, and various tanning treatments are applied to enhance the natural markings on the cowhide. Distressing the leather softens the belt, giving you a better experience and comfortable worn-in feel from the very first day.

Distressing can leave the original color intact, or it can create an aged appearance with colors ranging from light brown to dark black. It's a great way to make new leather look like vintage leather with a distinct leather patina that usually only comes from years of use. The result of the distressing process is an uneven texture with no two pieces looking alike. Distressing yields a more unique material for handmade products, unlike embossed leather which makes a uniform pattern.

Every leather tannery has a secret recipe to make distressed leather, and the results will vary based on the quality of the rawhides. We worked closely with our local tannery in Milwaukee as we developed our signature distressed leather. We chose to make a grey color because it is a less common color for belts but versatile enough to work with almost any outfit.

We start with a raw double butt cowhide. In our experience, this type of leather hide yields the best and most durable leather belts. It has an even thickness throughout, and the more rectangular shape means less waste. The cowhides go through the tannery's "secret sauce" vegetable tanning process to get to the soft grey color that we wanted. After that, they could go one of two directions - leave them as-is to make full-grain leather or continue with the distressing process.

Check out our other article if you're interested in learning more about the best types of leather for belts.