In a world before central heating and brand-name outdoor gear, people’s lives depended on their ability to make their own clothing in all but the warmest climates. In cultures across the world, the process of braintanning was utilized to transform raw hides and pelts into highly functional fabrics. Luxuriously soft, breathable, and extremely durable, buckskin clothing can literally last a lifetime.

Unlike most contemporary tanning, no chemicals or machines are used in braintanning. While the process is labor intensive, traditionally braintanned hides more than give back in their strength, durability, and comfort. Taking a hide from a raw state and transforming it into a serviceable fabric rekindles the connection that people have had with hides for most of human history.

Today, with the cotton and synthetics replacing buckskin as our primary fabric, raw hides have nearly become economically worthless and are discarded in the thousands every year. Through the process of traditional brain tanning, we are not only reclaiming a lost art, but also rediscovering what all of our ancestors knew – the incredible value and simple beauty of a braintanned hide.