Deerskin, Ahlskog
A new life for deer suede
Ahlskog
Deer suede
With over 100 years of experience in leather, Kruunupyy
In order for us at Lovia to be able to produce durable bags for their new owners, the material used must be of good quality. One of our material partners is Ahlskog, located in Kruunupyy, which has 100 years of experience in leather production. The company, which has been operating since the 1920s, has managed to convince European fashion houses to become its customers.
Ahlskog's trump card is not only high-quality leather, but also a strict attitude towards environmental requirements. This is reflected in practice, for example, in the minimization of water consumption in the leather production phase: water consumption is only 15-20 liters per hide. The leather hides, a by-product of conservation hunting, are given a new purpose as the material for Lovia bags.
FOUNDED: 1945
EMPLOYEES: 8
LOCATION: KRUUNUPYY, FINLAND
From deer suede to bags
The deer suede leather used in Lovia bags comes from the Ahlskog factory in Kruunupyy. The hides, in turn, come to Ahlskog from the conservation hunting of white-tailed deer. The species was originally introduced to Finland from the United States in the 1930s, and the number of white-tailed deer has since grown exponentially. The population size is regulated through hunting so that the species does not harm Finland's biodiversity. The hides used in Lovia bags are collected from hunters and hunting clubs around Finland.
The suede is dyed and tanned at the Ahlskog mill in a carefully controlled process. Tanning is a stage in the leather processing process, the purpose of which is to make the leather hide durable. The Ahlskog mill uses three tanning methods: chrome tanning, vegetable tanning and synthetic (metal-free) tanning. In our new material orders, Ahlskog uses synthetic tanning, which is more ecological compared to chrome or imported vegetable tanning agents.
After tanning, the deer suede travels to Helsinki to our designer, Outi, where a new use for the material is planned in the form of bags.
Greetings from the Kruunupyy factory
We want to give our partners a chance to have their voices heard, because without them the idea of utilizing waste material would just remain, well, an idea. Here are some greetings from Ahlskog and snippets of the team's everyday life, just as it appears at the factory in Kruunupyy.
"It is important to us that we use mainly Finnish raw materials: reindeer and deer. Reindeer is close to produced, lived in the wild and is used to produce leather that is a by-product of meat production. On the other hand, the deer population has grown so large that we can utilize the deer that are being thinned out for game management reasons to make goat skins. We also try to operate as ecologically as possible, we use little water and, for example, the chromium we use is precipitated and disposed of according to instructions. The chemicals, which are the same as those used by the textile industry, come from safe European operators.
We are delighted with how Lovia has promoted transparency and the recycling theme in the industry. The visits to our factory and the sometimes difficult questions have been appreciated!"
-Mikko Uusitalo, CEO, Ahlskog
Where can we do better?
We are already doing good things with Ahlskog, but reducing our environmental impact requires continuous self-development and reviewing our joint operations. So there is still room for improvement.
Our goal is to work with Ahlskog to find new tanning methods that better take into account the origin of tanning agents and their environmental impact in production. However, there are challenges with the currently used vegetable tanning agents, and there is no perfect solution. Our goal is to have a renewable and locally produced alternative to chrome tanning available.
Ahlskog
Deer suede
With over 100 years of experience in leather, Kruunupyy
In order for us at Lovia to be able to produce durable bags for their new owners, the material used must be of good quality. One of our material partners is Ahlskog, located in Kruunupyy, which has 100 years of experience in leather production. The company, which has been operating since the 1920s, has managed to convince European fashion houses to become its customers.
Ahlskog's trump card is not only high-quality leather, but also a strict attitude towards environmental requirements. This is reflected in practice, for example, in the minimization of water consumption in the leather production phase: water consumption is only 15-20 liters per hide. The leather hides, a by-product of conservation hunting, are given a new purpose as the material for Lovia bags.
FOUNDED: 1945
EMPLOYEES: 8
LOCATION: KRUUNUPYY, FINLAND
From deer suede to bags
To make environmentally smart decisions, we need information about our products. That's why we want to be transparent about where Ahlskog's leather comes from and how it's processed.
The deer suede leather used in Lovia bags comes from the Ahlskog factory in Kruunupyy. The hides, in turn, come to Ahlskog from the conservation hunting of white-tailed deer. The species was originally introduced to Finland from the United States in the 1930s, and the number of white-tailed deer has since grown exponentially. The population size is regulated through hunting so that the species does not harm Finland's biodiversity. The hides used in Lovia bags are collected from hunters and hunting clubs around Finland.
The suede is dyed and tanned at the Ahlskog mill in a carefully controlled process. Tanning is a stage in the leather processing process, the purpose of which is to make the leather hide durable. The Ahlskog mill uses three tanning methods: chrome tanning, vegetable tanning and synthetic (metal-free) tanning. In our new material orders, Ahlskog uses synthetic tanning, which is more ecological compared to chrome or imported vegetable tanning agents.
After tanning, the deer suede travels to Helsinki to our designer, Outi, where a new use for the material is planned in the form of bags.
Greetings from the Kruunupyy factory
We want to give our partners a chance to have their voices heard, because without them the idea of utilizing waste material would just remain, well, an idea. Here are some greetings from Ahlskog and snippets of the team's everyday life, just as it appears at the factory in Kruunupyy.
"It is important to us that we use mainly Finnish raw materials: reindeer and deer. Reindeer is close to produced, lived in the wild and is used to produce leather that is a by-product of meat production. On the other hand, the deer population has grown so large that we can utilize the deer that are being thinned out for game management reasons to make goat skins. We also try to operate as ecologically as possible, we use little water and, for example, the chromium we use is precipitated and disposed of according to instructions. The chemicals, which are the same as those used by the textile industry, come from safe European operators.
We are delighted with how Lovia has promoted transparency and the recycling theme in the industry. The visits to our factory and the sometimes difficult questions have been appreciated!"
-Mikko Uusitalo, CEO, Ahlskog
Where can we do better?
We are already doing good things with Ahlskog, but reducing our environmental impact requires continuous self-development and reviewing our joint operations. So there is still room for improvement.
Our goal is to work with Ahlskog to find new tanning methods that better take into account the origin of tanning agents and their environmental impact in production. However, there are challenges with the currently used vegetable tanning agents, and there is no perfect solution. Our goal is to have a renewable and locally produced alternative to chrome tanning available.
find your treasure
Pine cone bag
Kaiho crossbody bag
