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Manufacturer Figures Out How to Laminate, Thermoform and Deep-Draw Leather

Case Left pieces can hold their shape without requiring sewing

By Rain Noe - December 16, 2022

in Materials

Nihon Sweden is a company that makes leather cutting dies. Recently they embarked on a six-year manufacturing experiment, working with industrial design consultancy Drill Design to see if they could figure out how to deep-draw leather. And not just any leather: Nihon Sweden wanted to put their customers' waste products—the small bits of otherwise worthless scrap leather produced by the manufacturing of bags and small leather goods—to good use.

The experiment was a success, and the company is now able to produce laminated, thermoformed leather so deeply embossed that it can take the shape of vessels, without requiring any stitching to help it hold its shape.

"With innovative production methods that draw out the potential of materials," Drill Design writes, "we aim to create products with new value that are different from traditional leather products."

They call this line of objects Case Left, and at press time the only units available for commercial sale were a business card holder, a postcard holder and a circular vessel 180 mm (7") in diameter.

I know it is waste leather, but I'm hoping that in future they can come up with objects that have a greater practical application.

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Daniel Jordache

a year ago

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People have been wet molding leather for eons.... i don't know whats new here. Remember those old leather camera cases?

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Clair McDonald

a year ago

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Nice designs it’s nothing new though. it’s done with veg tan leather and as the previous comment said the process is called wet molding. Al Stohlman was a big proponent of it he mentions it in his books and he wasn’t the first, there were many more before him.

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