PPB October 2018

T he most unassuming spaces can be home to beautifully crafted goods, and the space occupied by supplier Ox & Pine (PPAI 725830) in a tiny business park in McKinney, Texas, is no exception. “I started Ox & Pine because I have a passion for bookbinding and leatherworking,” says Stephanie Brown, owner and principal of the supplier recognized as PPAI’s 15,000member when it joined the Association in late 2017. “After years of making books and working with leather, I decided it would be fun to sell some of my creations. From there it’s just grown, and I love to continue to learnmy craft. Wemake everything by hand from rawmaterials--we cut down hides of leather and carefully craft each piece for a unique and beautiful gift.” To produce leather, animal hides are tanned and finished in a variety of ways that produce a waxier, smoother feel, says Brown. “We love oil-tanned leather for the softness and signature ‘pull-up’ feature, where the leather will lighten in color in an area that’s folded and then darken again as it’s rubbed.” Tanning is the process of treating a cowhide to produce leather. “Every tannery has different formulas and processes to produce their leathers (e.g. vegetable tanned, chrome tanned). The different tanning processes result in different looks and textures. Some leathers are dyed colors and others are left natural, producing the traditional undyed vegetable tanned leather [very light peach/tan in color],” Brown explains. Leather comes in a variety of cuts from the animal, and Ox & Pine orders its leather in sides (literally half of a cowhide) and those will vary Hide To Seek Ox & Pine handcrafts leather goods with custom flair. by Jen Alexander 96 | OCTOBER 2018 | CONNECT Ox & P i ne