Behind the Scenes - 2/14/25

Dear Friends,

For those who are new to our emails, I try to do an email once a week where I go into the details of what is happening behind the scenes of our small business. If you want to catch up on prior messages, check out the blog here or just jump right into the story below.

You know, sometimes I have a good idea how limited edition drops will do. Last week's was a bit of a wildcard that sold poorly, and considering that the last time we did the blue bison it sold out in 2 hours I wanted to really give this one some extra runway. I decided to do 2.5 times the quantity of the composition cut and thought the Stationery Cut is always a great multi-use option. In all honesty I expected it would take a 24 hours to fully sell out... It took less than six hours.

So it seems that blue is a color people really like! Well the good news is that we are still working on developing a special edition blue that I hope to get out a little later this year. For those who may not know. Limited Editions are single items, single inserts, single color launches with a specific quantity available and when they are gone they won't come back for many months if they ever come back at all. Special editions are colors where we order a specific amount from the tannery and launch the color across most of the items in our lineup where they aren't quantity limited explicitly, but when the batch of leather is gone, they all go out of stock.

Part of the delay is due to a slight reformulation of the leather finish. We have been working with our current colors from a local tannery for a few years now, and I have been very happy with the quality and consistency during that time. One issue that has cropped up across multiple suppliers even from the beginning of the company is minor bleeding of color from the leather, especially when the leather is new. Similar to how a new pair of denim blue jeans will have some of the blue dye wash out over time, the leather pressed against a white surface for long periods of time may transfer some of the dye.

This has been something I've wanted to solve for awhile but the main blocker has been the specific wax and oil finish on the surface. It's basically impossible to have an oiled leather where the oil can be felt on the surface, but won't leach some of the dye out over time. Just thinking logically, if there is a medium that can hold dye like oil, and the medium is able to be felt on the surface, then it must be able to move the dye. Now the wax coating is intended to help lock the oil into the leather better, and the dye is specially formulated to stay tighter to the crust leather, but we haven't been able to perfect it yet.

For our writing items, the minor transfer isn't a major issue. The hardcover and softcover journals have black covers that render any color transfer essentially invisible, and I usually add a cover sheet to anything I'm putting in the binders and folders if they are new. However, for the new bag line we are working to launch and expand it is a more noticeable problem, and I want it solved before we launch them.

I also want the new finish to be similar enough to our current offering that most people may not be able to feel the difference. We shouldn't have any issue matching color, look, or temper, but matching a feel is harder. Humans have incredibly complex and powerful senses of touch and can pick up a ton of details about a surface subconsciously. This is actually something we very intentionally worked on when refining our leather during the last transition. The oil feel is a far more pleasant and natural feel than a harder wax. So to get the perfect feel we had to add the oil.

When I sat down with the tanning experts last time they pulled out some options of different leathers that have been specially formulated over the years to resist any bleeding (what they call "crocking" in the industry). I found one version that could be a good start. The reason it works is actually a pretty complex combination of things. First the surface is smooth, with a barrier, but with a slight texture added to it that is almost impossible to see unless you look very close. This texture is really important because it actually traps and retains some of the oils from your hands as you touch it. This gives it a oil feel, without the oil being able to carry away color.

Interestingly enough, the surface actually looks more like the way the leather looks after its been polished and gained a patina over time. So if you have an older journal, the new leather should match its look and feel better than the current leather when its new. It will still retain its ability to have minor scratches buffed out, like the current leather, and I am hoping it will match well.

The other part that is complex is finishing the back to the same level of bleed resistance. Our products use a single, thick layer of leather and the suede side of the leather is in contact with the inserts directly. So trying to find the best way to seal that is just as important as the outside (although the outside will be in contact with clothes, etc.) and is part of the reformulation. It will also need to retain its waterproof properties.

Leather tanning is a very in depth combination of chemistry, physical processes, and artistry that needs to be mastered at a large scale. Making one beautiful hide is difficult, but making hundreds of that same beautiful hide when the raw material is a natural product is extremely difficult. I am very glad we use our local tannery because it allows me to visit them in person and work through the rounds of prototyping to ensure that the leather is perfect. I don't think it would be possible for us to get this kind of quality and customized design work if our suppliers were overseas.

All this to say, thank you for your patience and good things are coming. For those who really love the current formulation, now is the time to get your items as we are hoping to transition all the colors to the new finish by the end of April. That will give us the change we need to get the new bags launched. I would love to hear your thoughts on this if you have any. I personally hate when companies change things, and I am trying to keep things as close to the same as possible while still solving a persistent concern. That being said, change must happen, and is a good thing in the end.

Stay tuned for more letters on Fridays in the coming weeks and be sure to go subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you like and watch the videos it helps us get promoted more by the algorithm to people who may never have heard of us.

Ever your servant,

Colin Murdy CEO/Owner

Murdy Creative Co.

Cell: 414-434-9001

MurdyCreative.Co 

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