All our leather is sourced from the finest Italian leather tanneries that have been tanning leather as family businesses for generations, from Solofra in the renowned Avelino region known for tanning leather since Roman times.
All tanneries are quality assured and employ ethical production principles at all steps of the leather production process.
To reduce wastage and maximise sustainability, our leather is a by-product of the food industry.
We are proud to work with Italian leather suppliers endorsed by the ‘Unione Nazionale Industria Conceria’ (‘National Union of Tanneries of Italy’) and all our tanneries have ‘ISO’ accreditation.
With four generations of leather crafting and tailoring experience, RAW by RAW is a proud family business dating back to 1976. Tracing back to our Eastern European roots, RAW by RAW still lovingly continue to hand-craft all its leather garments in small production runs using traditional leather-crafting and tailoring methods in our Glenhuntly workshop in suburban Melbourne.
Our Leather Explained
Nappa Leather
A light weight Italian Lambskin leather, perfect for crafting leather garments due its ability to drape and mould to the wearer’s body. Soft and subtle, it is very consistent in colour and has a customised sealant on the top in its final stages of tanning to ensure maximum longevity and easy care.
Stretch Leather
This is a fine ’Nappa’ finish lambskin leather that then goes through additional processes that bond and shrink the leather onto a cotton/lycra fabric backing. The labour-intensive process means that stretch leather is more expensive. Stretch leather as its name suggests is extremely stretchy and pliable, its fine nature is perfect to achieve the ‘legging’ fit. It is common for it to stretch more over time, therefore the fit when purchasing needs to be firm.
Belt Leather
Our Belt leather is sourced from a tannery specialising in “Vegetable Tanned” Leather specifically for belts. The Cowhide leather has a Pull-Up coating/finish. Pull-Up is a finishing technique that infuses hot oil and/or wax into the hide. The intricate finish allows for lines to form in the grain of the leather, so when pulled or stretched this pulling creates the desirable “pebbled and two-tone effect”.
KNITWEAR YARNS
For people that like their knits to be noticed.
Australian Merino Wool Blend – Composition: Australian Merino Wool / Nylon / Rayon / Acrylic
Australian Merino Wool is renowned for its rapid drying, breathable, non-allergenic qualities, and is a temperature regulating fibre perfect for keeping the wearer warm all winter long.
Our yarn is perfectly blended to ensure durability with minimal to no pilling and most importantly a luxurious hand-feel with no ‘itchiness or scratchiness’ - perfect for sensitive skin.
Australian Merino Lambswool – Composition: Australian Lambswool / Nylon
Our textured Lambswool is another inclusion to the RAW by RAW A/W ‘23 Collection. As Merino Wool, Lambswool shares many similar attributes however contains a slightly greater natural elasticity that we have further blended with Nylon to minimise or eliminate any pilling, yet provide added durability for the wearer. The speckle effect has been yarn dyed to create on-trend texture and flickers of colour, whilst the yarn with that extra little bit of weight provides that luxurious extra warm and cosy feel.
Base Layer Yarn – For Easy Care, Wash and Wear - Viscose / Nylon
Viscose is derived from wood pulp and is processed into a fibre that is extremely versatile, durable, pliable and stretchy. Its easy case and quick drying properties means its perfect for travel and day-to-day wear. We have blended the viscose with Nylon to strengthen the fibre, ensuring minimal to no pilling and longevity of the garment.
Raccoon/Wool Blend Yarn – Raccoon / Merino Wool / Viscose / Nylon
At Raw by RAW we are committed to brining our customers the most luxurious and interesting yarn available. Welcome to our newest yarn “Raccoon”. Raccoon is everything our customer asks for; soft, sumptuous, light weight and non-itch. Raccoon has a soft velvet like fluffy texture, and its perfect for
cold winters and sensitive skin. Blended with a perfect array of Australian Merino wool as well as viscose and nylon to give the wearer longevity.
CASHMERE
After listening to our valued clientele for several years we are pleased to respond to your many requests with the introduction of our new Cashmere range.
In taking several seasons to refine and perfect the “RAW by RAW Cashmere“ collection we have studied the various types of cashmere, their properties for that luxurious look and feel as well as their properties relating to pilling and keeping shape.
This collection embraces a premium Mongolian Cashmere blended with Australian Merino wool. This yarn is not just any blend. Both fibres are strictly supplied from the yarn supplier that allows us to fully trace back to the origin/grower. This allows for full transparency, true genuine origin and quality of the yarn ensuring this world class fibre is protected from imitation or substitution. Thus we can also fully ensure the quality, protection of the art and ensure minimal to no pilling and longevity of all the RAW by RAW artesian Cashmere pieces produced.
This is also a part of our quality promise to our RAW by RAW clientele and dedication to ethical and sustainable sourcing practice.
