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An acquaintance asked me to make 2 AirTag holders. I sent him a few designs and we agreed on a standard AirTag holder and another one shaped like an acorn.
Both use novonappa as the exterior leather. This is a full-grain calfskin that has undergone double tanning in Alsace (vegetable tanning and chrome tanning), allowing it to have the flexibility of chrome-tanned leather, but the ability to develop a patina like a genuine vegetable leather (vegetable leather = tanned with plant tannins, a very long process). It will develop a patina over time and become darker. It’s a very sensitive leather and the first scratches will appear quickly (especially since it will be in contact with keys), but the more scratches it gets, the more it will patina and the scratches will no longer be visible.
The lining & strap use another burgundy-colored leather from an Alsatian tannery (Haas). It’s a full-grain calfskin with a fine and barely visible embossing, easy to maintain. It won’t be affected by scratches. It is chrome-tanned so it will never develop a patina. It was chosen for the lining and strap because despite its thin thickness, it provides structure.
Both AirTag holders were hand-stitched using the “saddle stitching” technique previously used for saddlery, then applied to luxury leatherwork. Hand stitching is not just a luxury, it truly provides additional strength. With the saddle stitch, each stitch forms a solid knot. If one stitch ever comes undone, the rest will not be affected, unlike machine stitching. Repair is also very easy.
The thread used is a twisted linen thread. We could have used silk thread but it frays too much for my taste. I used a contrasting thread for the first AirTag holder to highlight the saddle stitching. For the second one, I opted for a tone-on-tone thread to emphasize the design more.
The edges were sanded and then hand-painted (several layers of paint). The paint helps protect them. They are then coated with a thin layer of beeswax (which will waterproof them a bit).
All metal accessories are made of stainless steel. The snap button on the second AirTag holder seems to float a bit, however it is very solid; it floats because I had a choice between two technical solutions and apparently, I didn’t choose the right one 🙂
There you go, I hope you like them as much as the person who received them
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