50,000 Years of Leather

1000 YEAR OLD MOROCCAN TANNERY
Here's an example of an Old World Tannery still in use to this day.

 

Leather is one of humanity’s oldest and most enduring materials. Long before cities, kingdoms, or empires, early humans discovered that animal hides could be preserved and transformed into something far stronger and longer-lasting than raw skin. From primitive shelters and clothing to armor and tools, leather has carried humanity through the harshest environments and the greatest eras of history.

Ancient Origins

The use of leather stretches back over 50,000 years, with evidence from prehistoric sites showing early tanning methods. By the time of Mesopotamia and Egypt, leather was no longer just survival gear — it was part of warfare, ceremony, and even luxury. Roman soldiers marched in leather armor and footwear, Egyptian rulers were buried with leather goods, and across the ancient world, it became a marker of both strength and status.

The Tanning Divide

The way leather is tanned determines its character, strength, and longevity.

 

  • Chrome Tan – A modern method introduced in the 19th century, chrome tanning uses chemicals to process leather quickly. It’s efficient and cheap, but the result is thin, weak, and short-lived compared to traditional methods. Toehold® never uses chrome-tanned leather.

  • Vegetable Tan – The oldest and most respected method, perfected over thousands of years. Using natural tannins from tree bark, vegetable tanning transforms hides into leather of unmatched strength, structure, and beauty. It develops a patina that grows richer with time — something chrome tanning can never replicate. Toehold® uses only vegetable-tanned leather, the very same tradition trusted for centuries.

  • The Difference – Chrome tanning takes days. Vegetable tanning takes months of patient, skilled labor. The slow process yields leather that will last for generations.

America’s Oldest Tannery

Toehold® sources leather from the oldest tannery in the United States, a place where heritage and craftsmanship have been preserved for well over a century. Every side of leather spends months in the tanning pits, passing through countless stages of soaking, drying, and finishing before it’s ready. The result is leather worthy of heirloom status — strong, refined, and steeped in history.

Toehold®: Only the Best of the Best

At Toehold®, we don’t compromise. We don’t chase shortcuts. We use only the very best of the very best of the very best. Our flip flops are built with leathers so rare and revered they stand alongside gold and diamonds — leathers that kings would have claimed, warriors would have trusted, and artisans would have honored.

 

  • Leather refined by a process older than recorded history.

  • Leather that takes months to make, not days.

  • Leather from the oldest tannery in the United States.

  • Leather that is always vegetable tanned.

  • Leather that molds and forms to your foot, creating a custom fit over time.

  • Leather with extreme strength and comfort once broken in.

  • Leather that is naturally antimicrobial, helping resist odor and bacteria.

  • Leather that develops a rich, beautiful patina — aging with character, not wearing out.

From the dawn of humanity to the modern world, leather has carried us forward. Today, Toehold® continues that story — crafting flip flops with the finest vegetable-tanned leathers on earth, perfected for the present, but steeped in thousands of years of heritage.