Carriat Tannery
Why LAMIRAL chose the Rémy Carriat Tannery
In Espelette, in the heart of the Basque Country, a family-run house has been crafting leather for nearly a century.
At LAMIRAL, choosing leather doesn't start with a color or a grain. It starts with an origin, a savoir-faire, and a house capable of transforming a natural material into leather destined to last through the years.
It is in this spirit that we chose to work with the Rémy Carriat Tannery.
Founded in 1927 in Espelette, the Rémy Carriat Tannery is now run by Marie Hiriart-Carriat, the third generation of the family. For nearly a century, expertise has been passed down there in the tanning, dyeing, and finishing of hides.
Taurillon, a material with character
We specifically chose Carriat for the quality of its taurillon (bull calf) leathers, a material that we use in our LAMIRAL creations.
Dense and resistant while retaining great suppleness, taurillon possesses that generous touch and depth we look for. Carriat works primarily with hides from Europe, mainly from Catalonia and Switzerland, with particular attention paid to their traceability.
The work carried out in Espelette then reveals the character of each hide: selection, dyeing, nourishing, softening, milling, sanding for certain nubucks, finishes, or even hand-applied patinas depending on the item.
We love this idea precisely: not to erase the material, but to reveal it.
Truly beautiful leather is not perfectly uniform. It bears a grain, a depth, and sometimes the natural traces of the hide’s life. And over the years, it evolves, develops a patina, and becomes unique to its user.
Houses that are close—literally
The choice of Carriat also says something essential about how we wish to build LAMIRAL.
Our leathers are crafted in Espelette, in the Basque Country, before joining our leather workshop in Graulhet, in the Tarn, where our pieces are handmade.
We have made the choice, whenever possible, to work with French and European houses recognized for their expertise rather than seeking anonymous components from the other side of the world.
This proximity allows us to know those who craft the materials we use, to understand their work, and to select our hides with high standards.
The same vision of time
Finally, there is a deeper proximity between our two houses.
Carriat champions a material that becomes more refined with time. At LAMIRAL, we design our objects based on the same principle: they are not meant to be replaced, but to be kept, used, and passed on.
Choosing a Carriat leather is therefore not just an aesthetic decision.
It is choosing a French family house, nearly a century old, expertise passed down between generations, and a material whose beauty does not end the day it leaves our workshop.
Because to create an object that stands the test of time, you must begin by choosing materials that know how to age.