H&M Antelope leather opinion needed

[puhmuckel]

Can't wait to see it , Thanks.

[Odd I/O]

Just got the cutting in today..its beautiful! I think you're really going to like the shade or red on this Equestrian. Going to put it in the mail to you today for approval.

Here's a photo of what the cutting looks like compared to the Master Dealer Swatch Ring. This is fairly typical (Leather is Equestrian, Class III, color Claret)

Is this considered a large colour variance between the sample/cutting and the dealer swatch? On my computer they look similar with the sample/cutting being slightly darker than the dealer swatch.

Also, is it just me or does it look like the texture in sample/cutting is finer than the one from the dealer swatch ring? The dealer swatch looks coarser. Or maybe it's just the light?

[drcollie]

Is this considered a large colour variance between the sample/cutting and the dealer swatch? On my computer they look similar with the sample/cutting being slightly darker than the dealer swatch.

Also, is it just me or does it look like the texture in sample/cutting is finer than the one from the dealer swatch ring? The dealer swatch looks coarser. Or maybe it's just the light?

Sharp eyes! The color variance from that particular swatch in the ring is very subtle, and in reality is just a tad darker. The grain on the actual leather is much finer than the swatch, however, and that's to be expected. Leather hides and the 4" x 6" dealer swatches are expensive to cut up as samples, so they use the WHOLE hide for samples, including the imperfect sections like neck and belly leather, which is more coarse than the actual hides that will be used on a piece.

When looking at the hand and texture of swatches, look across the entire colorway of a series to determine if that feel and appearance is across the line or just limited to one or two particular samples cut from less desirable parts of the hide.

[puhmuckel]

The leather just arrived in the mail and I just love it. It does look a couple of shades lighter than the swatch there are also slight variances of light and darker within the sample. It really is Beautiful.

[drcollie]

The leather just arrived in the mail and I just love it. It does look a couple of shades lighter than the swatch there are also slight variances of light and darker within the sample. It really is Beautiful.

Excellent! So we're good to go on it and I can have them set that batch aside for your sofa, yes?

[puhmuckel]

Yes, and thank you so much for your patience as well as your honesty as to which leather would suit my lifestyle the best.

[kperregaux]

Hi: I have a couple questions on Antelope. I have two Antelope samples one is thick and relatively fine grained, the other seems quite thin with a large irregular grain. Is this really the range that is actually used on finished products or is this just because they are samples (I did note H&M uses all parts of the hide for their costly samples)? Also, if Antelope is a vat-dyed aniline why is the back of the sample still white? Does the tone/color of the back influence the color once the leather is stretched on a finished piece? I lean towards Equestrian, my husband toward Antelope, but both are equally lovely. Are either more durable? My kids think Equestrian Chestnut looks like a football Thanks. Kathy

[drcollie]

Hi Kathy,

When H&M cuts samples, because of the high cost of the leather, they use the whole hide. There is a whole department at the main plant that does nothing but manage samples and with 413 leathers/colors, and you figure they have a couple hundred of each one in dealer samples - and several hundred more in memo samples to mail out to customers, that a LOT of leather used for samples. So you're going to get some samples that will show coarse grain, and that would not be used for the primary surfaces in making a piece. (the Primary Surfaces are the front, the seats, the back and the arm tops. Secondary Surfaces are the back, and sides below the arms). All that is trimmed away and tossed, destined to go to China to become melted-down bicast sofas for Costco and Sams Club.

Antelope is a semi-aniline hide from Germany. The crust of the hide is actually a medium gray and then its dyed to a lighter color to make it blonde, which is what you see on the back of the hide when you flip the swatch over. Then its hand-finished in the various colorways to give it its tone. Were they to dye it dark to begin with, then the base crust would be too dark to achive the color effects desired. Antelope is a protected leather, the best and highest protected leather in the H&M lineup, which is why its class III.

Equestrian is a full-aniline, its vat-dyed and classed as 'unprotected', though it does have a teflon coating on it and a "2" serviceablity rating, same as Antelope. It's a thicker hide, so it doesn't tailor as 'crisp' as some of the thiner leathers (more bulk around the corners), but its a terrific hide that feels and looks great in a matte kind of finishe. Also a class III price leather.

Leathers that change in tone when being upholsteried are called "pull-ups" and are designed to lighten when pulled tight on the frame and darken in the relaxed areas. You can see if a leather swatch is a 'pull-up' by holding the swatch tightly in your hands and then pressing your fingers up underneath the hide from the back and watch for the color change. Most pull-up hides have a waxy topcoar feel to them. Neither Equestrian or Antelope are pull-ups.

You can't go wrong with either hide, but you will get to totally different looks from one to the other. Select Antelope if you want a rich, elegant looking leather that is highly durable and pick Equestrian if you want a flatter sheen, and more casual looking while still getting sofa and supple.

[dwainw]

I thought I would chime in with my two cents. My wife and I have considered Antelope as well as a number of other leather lines. And like many people, we are weighing the balance between look/feel/price and the ability to handle reasonably mannered kids.

When we took a look at Antelope, we could appreciate its rich look, be were concerned that any scratches heavy enough to take off the top coat would expose the 'blonde' hide underneath. I know that this can be touched up, but it is still a concern. I've seen other leather furniture with worn corners and welting that expose a different color hide underneath, and to me that is quite unsightly. I've even seen an H&M Austin recliner at an outlet warehouse in Cavalier Oxblood that had a 1/2" x 1" section of the color removed by an ignorantly placed piece of packing tape.

On the other hand, we continue to consider the Caress line. This appears to be a semi-aniline that is dyed throughout, but still gets a servicability of 2 because of it's topcoat. It also has the feel of the finest Class IV leathers like Capri or Quintessence. From H&M's description it isn't a truly finished hide because it still has a surface grain of 3, but should be nicely durable with little color difference between the top and underlying hide. The downside to all of this is that Caress is almost completely uniform in color, no mottling, no highlights, just monochome. Some people like this look, some detest it. Correct me if I'm wrong here, Duane, but apparently when a leather has an aniline dye that matches the topcoat, all of the natural color variation in the hide is hidden. I can only surmise that this is why a tannery would dye a hide like Antelope such a bland color underneath, then take the time to hand apply a contrasting finish.

Of course with the dizzying array of choices available from H&M, there is something to please everyone. And while Antelope is very nice, my wife and I now just have to convince each other whether the price/servicibility of Caress outweighs the look/character of Capri. I promise we'll make a decision soon, Duane.

[barbja]

Antelope is a semi-aniline hide from Germany. The crust of the hide is actually a medium gray and then its dyed to a lighter color to make it blonde, which is what you see on the back of the hide when you flip the swatch over. Then its hand-finished in the various colorways to give it its tone. Were they to dye it dark to begin with, then the base crust would be too dark to achive the color effects desired. Antelope is a protected leather, the best and highest protected leather in the H&M lineup, which is why its class III.

I have a large sample of antelope saddle (5032) and a small one of antelope nugget (5029). The saddle is blonde on the back, but the color is consistent dark brown throughout the nugget. Also, the saddle sample is quite shiny and the nugget sample has a much more matte appearance.

I would have thought that my nugget sample was a mistake, but a dealer sample that I saw in a local store matched the one that I have. It was very difficult for us to tell the difference between it and the Capri with the dealer samples. (I acutally thought that theirs was a mistake -- this is why I ordered my own sample ).

My "large" nugget sample is the size of a small dealer sample that would live on a ring (my Capri sample is "large" too) and my "small" nugget one is just a little bit bigger than the H&M sticker.

Duane, can you pose the "is that 5029 right?" question to H&M and also have them send me a dealer-size sample so that I can have a better idea of Capri vs Antelope before I arrive in June? Better to have my decision anxiety occur in my own home than in your store .

Thanks!