New creative expressions of leather are opening up a world of opportunities.  International exhibitions and showrooms in the United States and Europe put this material back on the map with very strong ranges from Spain, Italy, England, the US and Japan. Traditional techniques in combination with the latest technologies build appeal.  Furniture, upholstery, cushions, rugs/flooring, wallcoverings/panels, window blinds, decorative accessories and sectors that include fashion, automotive, aviation, and yachting can take advantage of these processes that allow for a plethora of fresh aesthetics. Foglizzo, a third generation Italian leather company founded in 1921 applies skilled know-how to craft the highest quality leather.  Started as a firm that performed the restoration of leather in antique cars, it now caters to the contract and residential interior design industries in addition to transportation. Aside from the core business of 250 solid stocked colors on various grains, Foglizzo has perfected the art of the decorative and full custom markets.  Special techniques include dubbing—a process used to create texture on flat areas, pyrography—“writing with fire” and decorating with burn marks, and rempli-ciré—a technique with wax as a material used “to create a patina and a smooth, polished-by-age texture.” Located in London at The Design Centre Whistler Leather sources their leathers from top tanneries throughout Europe.  The complete range currently has more than 400 options from which to choose.  From block color hair on a cow hide to eel skin and floral or basket-weave embossing, there is something for every interior. As an attention catcher during Clerkenwell Design Week Whistler Leather employed muralist Carolina Maggio to paint on leather panels for the wall and upholstered poufs, all under the Japanese theme of ‘Hanami’, the cherry blossom celebration welcoming spring. Digital printing has grown exponentially in a number of fields; leather is no exception.  The Deep Print Movement is a specialist in leather printing and product development, boasting a list of impressive clients such as Aston Martin, Chanel, Hermès, Kenzo, and Mulberry.  Their expertise lies in “not only understanding leather as a medium but in enabling designers, helping them with the realization of a concept.”  Over the last ten years their “other growing area of expertise has been in the relationship between the leather once printed and the product it then becomes and more frequently we are asked to produce the finished product from start to finish, taking on the manufacturing process.” The Deep Print Movement has an in-house art team that has the ability to recolor, re-scale, and reposition artwork as well as “to advise on the print, on placements in relation to pattern pieces and taking into account seam allowance, on leather choice and on finish in relation to the final product.” Miyabi Casa is based in Madrid, Spain and exhibited the new DSV by Miyabi Casa range at the recent International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York City.  This collection showcases paintings digitally treated on full grain leather and is available to the residential and hospitality markets. There are a number of customers who want the appearance and quality of leather, but do not care for the material, even if it is a byproduct of the food industry.  That is where alternatives like Plotterfilms’ ecoLeather.CADCUT and Ultrafabrics offer solutions. Also from Italy, ecoLeather.CADCUT has been researching and developing its digitally printed eco-leather for the last year and a half.  This wide format media is made of a polyester textile base in a range of thicknesses with a polyurethane surface and a special coating to help bind the latex and sublimation inks.  It has been tested for indoor and outdoor applications as well as abrasion, washing resistance, bending, and fire resistance.  They also offer embossing. American company Ultrafabrics produces high performance polyurethane in Japan that is the height of sophistication for a leather alternative.  PVC free and low LOC emissions are part of their sustainability statement that focuses on toxic-free solutions, minimal dependency on natural resources, and the conservation of raw materials.  The registered brand Ultraleather is antimicrobial, breathable, stain resistant,  and suitable for the indoor and outdoor markets. These are only six of the several companies working on the forefront of leather for interiors.  Traditional leathers and new alternatives pave way to fresh opportunities in product development when coupled with all of the possible finishing techniques.