H&M Antelope leather opinion needed

[Martha2]

barbja
I finally ordered the Woodbridge recliner in Antelope nugget, and was quite relieved that the chair matched the sample cutting I waited so long for before placing an order. I will attempt to post a photo for you. (I had to re-register under Martha2 because I had trouble posting under my original Martha account for some reason). After reading the description of the leather I was fearful that it would be very different than the store sample, but it was very similar. It is very soft and smooth, with almost no markings. The color is a rich dark brown, without any orangey/red tones despite what the photo may imply. I am including a close-up of the leather just for you to see the wiped two tone effect (again, very subtle in person), but the photo shows a warmer redish tone that is not accurate. THe photo of the whole chair seems accurate to me in color. I am very pleased, as I was very stressed out over the disclaimers that the finished product could vary from the sample.

[Martha2]

Sorry-side view did not attach. Remember, this side view looks much more orange and patterned that in person. The flash exaggerated everything. The previous front full length view of the chair is accurate coloring.

[Laxplaya7974]

Very beautiful chair! Congrats!

[drcollie]

Antelope is a super-premium FINISHED leather from a German Tannery. Probably the finest Finished leather one can buy. It comes from the same tannery as Capri and Quintessence. Because its Finished, it has a sprayed pigment on it and is fully protected. That's why you are seeing a different color on the 'crust' or back of the hide, its not aniline-dipped. All finished hides have topcoats on them, and Antelope is a matte to satin finish (but not glossy).

Capri is a pure ANILINE and will be a fully dipped-hide, so the color will be all the way through. It will be softer, more elegant, more expensive, and the protection will not be as great from spills and sun fade. It will be less glossy then Antelope as well.

Samples vary. I have (4) sets of H&M samples in the store and the only way to be sure of what is going on your furniture is to request a 'cutting for approval' at time of order. That way, a piece of the hide batch that is actually going to be used on your order is first mailed to the dealer, then to you for approval. The only caveat when doing this is 1) It will delay your production by 4 to 5 weeks 2) If you don't like the sample you are back to square 1, there is only one batch of leather to send out every 6 months or so.

Samples are representative of the final product, but not accurate. If I were to assign a value to it, I'd say that one can expect up to a 25% variance in color / hand / sheen from the samples in the upper tier hides, and up to a 10% variance in the lower grade leathers.

Be glad to send you more samples, but you'll need to PM me with your address.....

[Martha2]

Duane,
I am now confused and a bit disturbed. I thought I was buying an aniline leather. In post 4 of this thread, you told me that Antelope was an aniline, which is what I wanted to buy. In post 28, you said it was a semi-aniline, and now you are saying that it is a super-premium finished leather. I paid more for this leather than I would have for Document of Cavalier and now I am wondering just what have I bought?

[drcollie]

Hi Martha,

I called the top leather person at H&M a little while ago to make sure I'm accurate on this hide information. With over 400 leathers from just this one supplier its sometimes hard to keep track of it all. My post earlier today had some errors in it, which I will correct here and apologize for any confusion.

This comes from Tim Rogers, President of Hancock and Moore, and he has been to the tannery in person, and he selects the hides for H&M:

"Antelope is a German leather that is technically a Protected Leather. However it is aniline-dyed first, so its a semi-aniline in form. The reason you do not see the same color all the way through is because they start with a light crust, then hand-apply a number of transparent color coats and antiquing that allow you do 'see' through the leather in a way you never will with a hide such as Document or Cavalier. Pure finished hides will have a blue/gray crust on the backside from the Chromium tanning processes, so just because it is lighter on the backside does not mean its not aniline-dipped. If you scratch it deeply will you see the lighter crust? Yes. As in all the leathers in the line, deep scratches will alter the look. Antelope is the finest fully protected leather in the Hancock and Moore line, and has the 'dry' look and depth of color that one associates with real leather. While Document and Cavalier are important leathers to us (from China), they are heavily processed and do not have the same look or feel as Antelope. If I wanted a fully protected leather in my home and wanted the best in class, it would be Antelope."

If you are unhappy with your purchase or feel you were misled, I'll be glad to offer you a full refund (including all shipping charges) and/or replacement of your recliner in a leather of your choice, refunding the difference in price if you wish to move into a lower grade leather. Just contact me via PM and I will arrange pickup of your recliner and the details with you.

Again, sorry for any confusion. I try to provide accurate information as best I can, and not a day goes buy I don't learn something new about the leather industry.

[Martha2]

Duane
Thank you so much for finding out that information from Tim Rogers. That clears up a lot of confusion. I thought for a minute that I had paid a premium for no reason after trying to do my homework before making a leather decision. The leather looks and feels wonderful so I am pleased with the final product. It would really be helpful if H&M gave a better description of their leathers as far as aniline/non-aniline/etc. so that the consumer could be sure about what they were buying.

Can you answer a question about the stretching? I remember a discussion not long ago about steer hide vs cow hide or some such, and I am curious to know if the Antelope leather is the less-stretching steer hide. After just a few weeks, the seat cushion has developed a "butt" impression from my 195 lb husband sitting in it for about 2 hours a night, and the head bustle also has a noticeable vertical fold. Is this normal after a few weeks? This if my first leather purchase so I don't know what is to be expected. I suspect that a leather this buttery soft is just going to stretch more than a "harder" leather, but I was hoping that it would still keep its shape. Is this an initial break-in stretching, or will it likely continue to get wavier?

[drcollie]

Hi Martha,

My pleasure. I try to have the right answer and be accurate as much as I can. Every leather from H&M is Grade A Steer Hide, they use no cowhide, or lesser steer hide grades. All leather stretches somewhat, but Steer Hide will do less than cowhide for sure. I think what you are seeing is actually the cushions 'breaking in' rather then excessive leather stretching. The cushions are very full when new, and use settles them in somewhat, to where they should have a slight 'pocket' and be very comfortable. I have that same recliner in my house (mine is 22 years old) and have the same vertical in the head pillow and slight 'butt' wrinkle in the seat.

Once in a while I get customers who want a very full look and don't care for the 'broken-in' appearance. In that case, I order a second set of cushions inserts "extra full" for your chair and have them shipped to you at no charge. Remove the old core inserts. install the new ones and your seat and back pillows will have a high, full crown to them. The only downside is they're not quite as comfortable for some as you tend to sit more 'on top' on the piece than in it. Ask your husband if he's comfortable in the chair as it is, or if he'd prefer a fuller seat or back. If he would, PM me off the forum and I'll get some cushion cores out to you.

[drcollie]

Took a photo today of my Hancock and Moore Recliner that I bought in 1987. It was my first leather purchase. This has not been babied in any way, BUT I have always kept the leather clean and wiped down. As you can see, its a long ways from being worn out and I expect to get another 22 years out of it.

[Martha2]

Wow! It looks great! How often do you clean it, and with what?