English Saddle Leather Belt by Kreis

Made from the highest quality English saddle leather, prepared in one of the last traditional tanneries in the English West Midlands, Kreis crafts this belt by hand. Heavy and extremely durable, weather resistant harnesses are actually made from this material for equestrian use.
The rawhide – only the best part of it, the butt from the cow’s back – is tanned in the pit and then processed according to traditional methods. First, the skin surface is lightly sanded, then the color – dark blue, black or classic "British Racing Green" – is applied by brush, giving the material a deep color and transparency that remains unmatched by batch-dyed leather. A blend of natural waxes, fats and oils makes the leather incredibly durable and provides a compact, firm grip.

Founded in 1963 in Offenbach by Erich Kreis, the Hessian leather manufacturer Kreis became specialised in belts early on. The firm is run today by Bernd Kreis, the son of the founder. He uses only full-grained leather: classic box calf and traditionally pit-tanned cow leather from Germany, saddle leather from England and the legendary Shell Cordovan horse leather from the Horween^® tannery in Chicago. Kreis is one of the very few manufacturers of hand-made leather belts which still cultivates the time-consuming art of triple layer belt construction.