Founder and creative head of NINE TO FIVE is Berlin-born Sandra Schittkowski. For their leather collections they use only the finest calfskin from Europe, mostly vegetable and tanned exclusively with the help of chrome-free substitutes. For good reason: because chromium in one of its sub-forms, which can be caused by exposure to intense heat, for example, is carcinogenic and highly allergenic. In addition, the extraction of chromium salts is energy-intensive and produces many times more residual materials. Vegetable tanning is a natural alternative to the industrial preservation of leather hides: Processed with low-pollutant plant substances from rhubarb root or from the wood extracts of the chestnut tree, the leather does not require any chemical toxins or tanning agents.
The collections are made in manageable quantities in carefully selected family businesses near Porto, in northern Portugal.
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