With over 40 years of history, Sui Hing Leather Factory is now managed by its third-generation owner, 90s-born Kean, making it the last leather factory in Hong Kong. After studying in the UK and completing leather crafting courses, Kean returned to Hong Kong to take over the family business and launched The LEDERER Leather Workshop, handling everything from production to retail. Today, our reporter visited Sui Hing Leather Factory in person to uncover the secrets behind its 40-year leather craftsmanship.
Fresh cowhides are delivered daily from slaughterhouses to the factory, where they are placed into large wooden drums and salted.
Using industrial-grade coarse and fine salt, the process works like a washing machine, evenly infusing the salt into the hides. This transforms them into salted hides, a process that takes approximately 45 minutes.
The factory, established by Kean’s grandfather in the 1970s-80s, exudes history. The old machinery emits a distinct smell of chemical processing materials. Observing the production process—salting, dehairing, acid soaking, and more—reveals how intricate leather production truly is. A towering two-story wooden drum plays a key role in the process, which Kean enthusiastically explained with expertise.
As a university graduate returning from the UK, Kean faced skepticism about his career choice. "Why would a graduate work in a factory? And such a tough one at that?" Despite the doubts, Kean persevered, working tirelessly to sustain the family business. Expanding from leather production into retail, he hopes to prove the value of Hong Kong-made leather, one step at a time.
Each salting batch can handle 70-80 hides, removing blood and preserving the material. A single salted hide weighs 40-50 kilograms. These salted hides can be sold as raw materials or further processed. Different types of cowhides yield different fiber qualities, meaning a handbag made with Hong Kong salted hides may differ in quality from one made with Italian salted hides.
After soaking, dehairing, and cleaning, the hides become "gray hides" (dehaired hides). They are then split into layers by machine and acid-soaked. Acid-soaking uses highly concentrated corrosive chemicals to shrink the leather and give it a translucent, white appearance. A single hide can be split into two layers:
Top Grain (First Layer): The outermost surface, smoother and higher in price.
Split Leather (Second Layer): Rougher and commonly used for making shoes.
Producing a piece of Hong Kong-made cowhide takes 2-3 weeks from start to finish. A 50-square-foot piece retails for approximately HKD 1,200. In contrast, high-end Italian leather, often made from French bull hides, involves specialized production steps spread across multiple factories, making it 30-40% more expensive. However, due to differences in cattle breeds, chemicals, and methods, comparing quality directly is challenging. Would you choose to support Hong Kong’s last leather factory?
Plant-Based vs. Chrome Tanning
Leather tanning falls into two categories:
Vegetable Tanning: Uses natural plant-based materials, often for crafting wallets and belts.
Chrome Tanning: Common for upholstery and automotive leather, but relies on chemicals harmful to the environment.
For vegetable tanning, materials such as oils, tannins, tree resin, and chemicals are mixed with water, and the same drum is used for small-batch dyeing with various pigments.
After dyeing, the leather is vacuum-dried. A heated bottom plate rises while the top plate removes 40-50% of the moisture for quick drying.
The entire production process takes 2-3 weeks. Kean explained, “Leather-making follows a basic formula, but changing even one material won’t always yield the same result. A single mistake in the process can mean additional time spent correcting it.”
Post-tanning processes like embossing and stretching also affect the leather’s texture and value. The "leather smell" comes from the chemicals used in processing. The most common post-processing techniques include:
Embossing: Using a lead ball in the drum to soften the leather and create natural patterns.
Stretching: Smoothing the leather surface.
Kean inherited the factory from his grandfather and parents, and he’s determined to keep it running despite the challenges. Amidst a new wave of emigration, Kean has chosen to stay. His ultimate goal is to preserve Hong Kong’s last leather factory, a piece of the city’s history.
Reporter: Wong Yee-Fu
Photographers: Poon Chi-Hang, Ng Wing-Kin, Lee Hin
Producer: Yan Chun-Yu
Editor: Chow Chung-On
Source: Apple Daily
記者：翁怡富
攝影：潘志恆、伍永健、李軒
監製：甄俊宇
編輯：鄒仲安
文章來源：蘋果日報