Materials

1. Vegetable tanned leather

There is a great variety of tanning techniques, but the oldest method - from Neolithic - and perhaps the most complicated is tanning with vegetal tannins. As the name suggests, the vegetable tanning is an organic method based on tannins extracted from bark tree or plant fiber. Oak, chestnut or silk tannins are the most popular, but hundreds of other types of plants used in tanning natural leather are known.

Modern tanning methods are based on minerals such as chromium sulphate, a substance that was invented in the mid-nineteenth century. The principle is the same, binding skin's collagen into stable molecular structures, a process that prevents rotting and decomposition. This method of binding collagen protein using chromium salts takes a short time, the order of 1-3 days, but often the use of these heavy metal minerals is responsible for the pollution of the environment and for different skin allergies.

In contrast, the tanning process with plant tannins is a time-consuming process that involves sinking the skin into a concentrated vegetable tannin soup for a few months. This traditional tanning method requires specialized workmanship but the result excites any customer who appreciates quality products.

Among the benefits associated with natural, vegetable tanned leather:
- biodegradable material with minimal allergenic risk
- wear resistance, leather retaining its beauty over time
- the feeling of an organic product, "alive", pleasant to the touch

Disadvantages of Vegetable Tanned leather:
- tannin fixes the color worse than chromium - in wet conditions there is the possibility of transferring a slight color shade
- higher costs due to a production process that requires more careful and longer control than the one based on chromium salts, as well as a specialized manufacture.

Attention!

Do not confuse vegetable tanned leather with echological leather or vegetable leather!

While the vegetable tanned leather is an organic material from animal skin, the echological leather or vegetable leather is a synthetic material.

For those curious, the difference between the echological leather and vegetable leather is made by the substance from which it is synthesized. While the echological leather is synthesized from polymers, the vegetable leather is grown from genetically modified yeast so that the yeast protein mimics the collagen from the animals' skin.

2. Chrome-free leather: premium footwear with a clean conscience

The chrome-free leather is so close to our hearts. Moving away from traditional leather tanning methods that use harmful chromium salts, we opt for safer, eco-friendly alternatives like vegetable tannins, synthetic tannins and other non-toxic chemicals. This approach significantly reduces environmental pollution and enhances the safety and health of everyone involved: from our dedicated workers to you, our valued customers.

Chrome-free leather is kinder on the skin and more biodegradable than its traditional “extended family”, yet it still offers the luxurious feel and lasting durability you expect from premium footwear.

Plus, as it ages, it develops a beautiful patina that makes each pair of shoes distinctly yours. We're proud to provide footwear that doesn't just look good and feel good, but also does good.

3. Chrome free lining

Children love colorful shoes and the outer pieces of material have a decisive influence on the shoe attractiveness, but besides its design and appearance, the comfort and being healty matters just as much - and in this regard the materials used for lining are the ones that have the major role. When children wear shoes without socks, the skin of their feet can absorb - especially when sweating - a big part of the substances they come into contact with, so it is important that both the sole of the footwear as well as the lining are processed with healthy, non-alergenic substances. Chrome-Free lining - tanned with synthetic tannins or vegetal tannins - solves this problem by providing a special protection for the delicate skin of the children.

4. Recycled mesh: sustainability with Innovation sewn into one 

We’re passionate about our journey towards a more sustainable world and our use of recycled mesh is a big part of that story. Crafted from post-consumer plastics like discarded water bottles (PET) or from textile waste from old clothes and leftover fabric scraps, this mesh material is a small wonder.

The recycled elements are carefully collected, cleaned and transformed (shredded) into tiny pieces, melted down and spun into new, high-quality fibres.These fibres are then knit into the breathable, durable mesh fabric that makes up some of our footwear.

This whole process breathes new life into what would otherwise be waste, significantly reducing our need for new resources. By choosing recycled mesh, we're making a statement about reducing landfill waste and greenhouse gas emissions, about shrinking our ecological footprint.

5. Natural rubber soles: flexibility, durability and earth-friendly design 

Lang.S passion for sustainability reaches all the way to the very foundation of our shoes: the soles. Made from natural rubber, these soles start their journey as latex sap, gently tapped from rubber trees in a way that allows them to continue producing for years. 

After tapping, the latex is transformed into durable rubber sheets and then moulded into soles. This type of soles is known for their exceptional shock absorption, resilience and flexibility. These qualities ensure not only the comfort and durability of our footwear but also perfect grip and traction for various uses.

More than just practical, natural rubber is biodegradable, which helps us lessen our environmental footprint when the shoes reach the end of their lifecycle. By choosing natural rubber means that you are not only going for shoes that feel great and perform excellently, but you are also nurturing sustainable practices that respect our planet and support the communities that cultivate these resources.