Our luxury products often come with a history behind them, from the breed of the sheep and where to find them to the various textures of wool, unique markings and the variation in size. It is so interesting learning about the individual characteristics, how humanity and the environment has influenced the animal over hundreds of the years. It may not seem it, but we are heading toward summer despite the rain and we are happy to share with you relevant tips and information relating to the current season and we can recommend any products that are a great addition this spring/summer for the home.
So today, we are going to enlighten you about our beautiful reindeer hides, we feel it is important that our potential customers are aware of the history of the animal and our sourcing; it is becoming apparent that more people are keen to understand the ethics, story and uses behind each product and we think it is great and we fully support this. Our gorgeous reindeer hides are sourced from the artic regions of Finland and are always a bi-product of the farming/meat industry. One of the oldest living cultures in the artic regions is that of the Sami people, who have been living and surviving the barren landscapes of Sami land for thousands of years. They traditionally survived by hunting and fishing and in more recent years by herding reindeer which have also become their staple food and clothing. One thing that really captivated us with the Sami people was that they are not wasteful by any means, every inch of the animal is used whether it is meat for consumption, skin and fur for clothing and shoes and bones for handicrafts.
We feel strongly about knowing the background of our products, being able to support a traditional lifestyle such as the Sami culture is imperative to us so we can inform our customers of the history and the practices they use and feel confident they are fully aware of the ethics behind each purchase. One key factor relating to the product itself is the weatherproof nature of a reindeer skin, they are versatile skins and great for use outdoors in a garden for entertaining which at this stage in the year is quite important with the glorious sunshine one minute and grey days the next. It isn’t advisable to leave them out constantly exposed to the elements, but they for certain can easily handle a bit of rain and wind, afterall nothing rocks a combination of rustic country elegance more than a beautiful reindeer hide. Usually we find they are best suited laid on a patio floor to add warmth underfoot in the brisk evening or draped over a chair by the chimenea; but not too close as they cannot handle extreme heat.
Something we always mention which others are not always willing to point out is that reindeer hides are quite delicate despite originating from one of the harshest environments in the world; the hair follicles are hollow which means they are susceptible to mild breakage if they are not treated with care and respect. They do not suit high traffic areas and cannot cope with very long periods of being sat on, but they do provide a high degree of warmth and look stunningly beautiful in the home and they still make a great floor rug or seating arrangement for summer al fresco dining. If you prefer the whiter shades, don’t delay because these are and always have been the hardest shade to obtain, occasionally we stock the odd albino too which is a true representation of natural beauty. It is always interesting for us to watch as the skins arrive and see which colours are more plentiful than others, this gives us a great indication of season and the age of the animal; and most importantly we are supporting a traditional livelihood that has been around for thousands of years, information we can pass onto our customers as a bit of history relating to their purchase.
