This week in the studio, we’re starting the first round of edge painting on our Mini Lunas. In the case of many other leather bags on the market, painting is a one-time step, but this often leads to unsightly peeling or scratching. In Lotuff’s case, we paint on a layer, then buff all the edges, and then repeat- sometimes up to seven times.

The result is paint that has been buffed right into the grain of the leather, guaranteeing that it will be able to effortlessly stand the test of time. It’s like “raising the grain” on a piece of wood through staining and then sanding it to remove the fibers that have risen up. We accomplish that same thing through painting and buffing our leather, making it smooth to the touch and appealing to the eye. 

The Mini Luna has a higher degree of curvature than many of our other bags, so it’s critical that we’re careful to evenly paint and buff the edges so as to honor the bag’s shape and keep its streamlined form. To test that we’ve done this properly, we employ a “blind test”, running a finger over the edges of every piece of leather without looking to be sure everything is correct. Perfection confirmed, these bags will move on to their next stage in the workshop.