Creating transparent and supple cow leather has been a challenge. It has been possible with smaller hides of goats and sheep, but this leather was hard like parchment, so not suitable for garments, and could not get wet. Ecco Leather now introduces Apparition, soft and transparent cow leather with lasting pliability, which protects from water.

The aim of the project was to identify concrete ways Ecco could combine their tanning experience with their R&D facility in the Netherlands to push the technology forward, solving practical issues that have eluded the industry up-to-now like lasting pliability and the ability to get wet.

According to the press release, the Ecco team studied old Egyptian and Greek tanning techniques, along with previous studies to translucent leather, combining these with modern industrial applications to create the leather. The result is a soft, transparent cow-skin leather, with all properties of leather we know and love – pliable, strong and easily workable which protects from water.

Named Apparition for its spectral qualities and almost ghostlike appearance, the leather was applied to the design of jackets and shoes. The products were designed by Sruli Recht, creative director and lead of the Ecco Leather project.

The leather is available in amber, green, black , brown, white and red, but any colour is theoretically possible.

Photos: Marinó Thorlacius/Ecco Leather