Are the hides from H&M vat dyed? And exactly what does that mean?

[NateB]

When shopping for a sofa the furniture store told me that the H&M hides are "vat dyed" so the color is consistent throughout the leather. The leather samples I saw were this way - the same shade (or very close) on both sides. Is this the norm? Was the salesperson correct?

[drcollie]

Sort of.

"Vat Dyed" refers to aniline leathers. About half the H&M lineup.

"Finished" leathers are pigmented, or painted. The other half. For more on this, look under the LEATHER category and you will see 'A Primer about Leather" in a Sticky.