Leather

Leather is our passion.

and always has been.

Thomas Machalke is the first person behind the Tommy M brand. The owner of the company TM Collections grew up with leather and the art of processing this material. He became familiar with the peculiarities and special features of leather at a young age. Now he uses these many years of experience, knowledge and skill to find leathers whose use and processing would be virtually impossible for others.

At Tommy M, leather is not simply bought from a catalogue. Thomas Machalke and Ale Couperus travels the world and visits different tanneries, looks at the material and manufacturing conditions and makes careful selections. There are several reasons for this. On the one hand, it obviously guarantees that Tommy M’s high quality requirements with regard to materials, environment and sustainability are met, but on the other, it is because many leather “treasures” are not even available to “normal” customers. They are hidden away in the corners of manufacturer’s leather stores or perhaps intended for something completely different, such as handbags or clothes. Special leathers are not even offered to the average furniture manufacturer.

Most of the leather furniture industry requires leather to be uniform because of machine-based and standardised manufacturing. Tommy M does not do uniformity. Thomas Machalke and Ale Couperus looks for something special and demands it, such as unique visual effects, where leather shows the natural traces of the hide or an impressive feel, for example when leather is so buttery-soft to touch that it feels like velvet or processing techniques that so far have not been used to produce upholstery leather. It is all possible with Tommy M, thanks to vast knowledge and experience and specialisation in the special.

Angus

is an entirely natural, aniline leather made from the best, hand-selected, Southern German bull hides.

This striking leather is non-split. It has an impressive, exceptional thickness of more than 3.0mm, pronounced grain and a wonderful neck and fattening fold area, all of which is used. The finely tumbled leather has a wonderful structure and a buttery soft feel, despite its thickness. Angus is an ecologically mineral-tanned leather. All natural features such as scars, insect bites, neck folds, cuts from barbed wire etc. are retained in full. These features are proof of the promised naturalness and intentional expression of this leather and can therefore obviously not be recognised as a complaint.

Bubalus

is an extremely thick, rustic, neck aniline leather from Asian water buffalo, with a natural, unfinished surface.

After high-quality, soft nappa mineral tanning, the leather is just drum-dyed with selected dyes. Unsealed surface that allows the leather to keep its inimitably soft feel and vibrant appearance. Water buffalo are outdoor-dwelling farm and sometimes work animals that are exposed to the elements and other environmental influences with no protection. The hides produced as by-products of food production are the raw material for this exceptional leather. All natural and leather features, such as scars, insect bites, neck and fattening folds, scratches from thorns and barbed wire and raw patches etc, and sometimes smaller, plain areas, are left visible in the subsequent tanning and refinement processes. The leather cannot be processed without all of these features! They are proof of this leather’s promised naturalness and intentional expressiveness and can therefore not be accepted as grounds for complaint. The leather is approx. 2.8 – 3.5 mm thick.

Cervo

is a robust, grained, thick leather with a pleasant feel and good performance characteristics.

It has a thickness of 1.3 mm – 1.5 mm with a pronounced grain. Visible natural features and small, scarred wounds are signs of grained leather. Cervo leather is available in over 40 colors.

Corrida

is a natural, full-grain cowhide.

Following mineral tanning and aniline drum dyeing, the leather is given a short, surface nap, so there may be a subtle writing effect! Different oils are then worked into the leather. This gives the material its inimitably soft feel and the two-tone appearance of a true pull-up leather. With this finish, it is easy to polish out scratches that are made from the furniture is used. All natural features such as scars, insect bites, neck folds, cuts from barbed wire etc. are retained in full. These features are proof of the promised naturalness and intentional expression of this leather and can therefore obviously not be recognised as a complaint. The leather is approx. 1.2 – 1.4 mm thick.

Colonial

is a visually and haptically extraordinary nubuck leather, which is made from unsplit and very heavy bull hides of the best Central European raw material.

Characteristic features are the distinctive fulling grain and the distinctive neck and mast fold areas. The elaborate dyeing in several steps, the so-called sandwich process, and the subsequent hand sanding creates this striking two-tone effect. Each leather hide is unique and makes each piece of furniture unique. An ecological mineral tanning process is used here. When the leather is produced, all natural features, such as scars, insect bites, neck folds etc are left visible. These features are proof of the promised naturalness and intentional expressiveness of this leather and can therefore obviously not be recognised as a complaint. It is between 2.8 – 3.0 mm thick.

Cuba

is an entirely natural, pure aniline leather from natural-selection cattle, mineral-tanned, drum-impregnated and dyed only.

The surface is not sealed with a finish, which lets the leather keep its inimitably soft feel and vibrant appearance. The breed of cattle used lives in herds out in the open where they are exposed to the climate and other environmental influences with no protection. The hides that are produced as residual products are the raw material for this leather. All natural and leather features, such as scars, insect bites, neck folds, cuts from barbed wire, brands and raw patches etc. are left visible in the subsequent tanning and refinement processes. These features are proof of the promised naturalness and intentional expressiveness of this leather and can therefore obviously not be recognised as a complaint.

Diesel

is a pure, drum-dyed, mineral-tanned, aniline leather.

This exceptional leather is made from raw material from African “wildlife” cattle and all of the natural features have intentionally been retained. These features, such as scars, insect bites, neck and fattening creases, tears from thorns and insect bites, etc. are proof of this leather’s promised naturalness and intentional expressiveness and can therefore obviously not be recognised as a complaint. The special appearance of this “old-fashioned” leather is created by treatment with certain waxes and oils, as well as subsequent off-pressing of the hides. Pull-up and crackled effects are characteristic of this leather. The leather is approx. 1.2 – 1.4 mm thick.

Kaleo

is a soft, supple leather with a fine nubuck effect.

After mineral tanning, the cow hides are barrel-dyed with high-quality dyes. In the finish, a fine pigment grid is sprayed on to minimize the color differences between the hides, then sanded. This open structure with the typical writing effect is characteristic for this use-optimized aniline leather. The sanded surface structure can lead to the typical writing effect and seat mirror. During production, all natural features such as insect bites, neck folds, scars, etc. are left visible. These features are evidence of the promised naturalness and intentional expression of this leather and cannot be accepted as a complaint. This is a natural product that has not been painted opaque. Therefore, there may be recognizable color tolerances to the exhibition furniture and collection samples. It is between 1.1 – 1.3 mm thick.

Kentucky

is a natural, robust, pure aniline leather from Brazilian pampas cattle.

The leather is mineral-tanned with vegetable retanning. The specially applied oil/wax finish gives the leather an interesting pull-up/ crackle effect. When the leather is produced, all natural features, such as scars, insect bites, neck folds etc. are left visible. These features are proof of the promised naturalness and intentiona expressiveness of this leather and can therefore obviously not be recognised as a complaint.

Miura

comes from Asian water buffalo in mineral tanning with an expressive vintage effect.

The raw material is a breed of buffalo that is only kept outdoors and is often used as a work animal in the rice fields. The leather gets its special look and feel in the last step of production. The finished hides are individually sanded and polished by hand. This gives the leather a certain used look. During production, all natural features, such as insect bites, neck foldd, scars, etc. are left visible. These features are proof of the promised naturalness and intentional expression of this leather and cannot be accepted as a complaint. This is a natural product that has not been painted opaque. Therefore, there may be recognizable color tolerances to the exhibition furniture and the collection samples. These characteristics are proof of the promised naturalness and the intentional expression of this leather and cannot be recognized as a complaint. It is between 1.0 – 1.2 mm thick.

Monterey

is a natural, minneral-tanned leather from South American pampas cattle.

The leather gets its extraordinary look and the wonderfully soft feel from the sanding on the grain side. Afterwards the hides are polished and receive an aniline finish. All natural and leather features, such as scars, insect bites, neck folds, cuts from barbed wire etc. remain visible. These features are proof of the promised naturalness and international expressiveness of this leather and can therefore obviously not be recognised as a complaint. The leather is approx. 1.2 – 1.4 mm thick.

Nabuck

is a wonderfully soft, smooth nubuck leather with a natural milled grain.

Once they have been mineral tanned, the European cowhides are drum-dyed using high-quality dyes. Abrading of the grain side and working in high-quality, natural texture treatments then gives the leather its sumptuously soft feel and distinctive appearance. The signature writing effect of the finish and the formation of shiny areas from sitting is a result of the abraded surface texture. The leather benefits from liquid and dirt-resistant fibre impregnation. All natural and leather features, such as scars, insect bites, neck folds, cuts from barbed wire etc. remain visible. These features are proof of the promised naturalness and international expressiveness of this leather and can therefore obviously not be recognised as a complaint. It is between 1.4 – 1.6 mm thick.

Nevada

is a drum-dyed, aniline leather from exotic water buffalo, with an expressive finish.

Mineral tanning is used on this leather. The raw material used comes from a breed of buffalo that is only kept out in the open and often used as a working animal on rice fields. The leather gets its special appearance and feel during the last stage of production. The finished hides are individually polished by hand, giving the leather its open, fibrous structure. When the leather is produced, all natural features, such as scars, insect bites, neck folds etc are left visible. These features are proof of the promised naturalness and intentional expressiveness of this leather and can therefore obviously not be recognised as a complaint. The leather is approx. 1.3 – 1.5 mm thick.

Pueblo

is a full-grain, aniline leather optimized for use, made of high-quality European rawhide, with a wonderfully soft handle.

After mineral tanning, the leather is drum-dyed and then treated with a protective pigmented layer. This layer is so fine that the naturalness and feel of the leather are preserved Slight differences in colour and natural features such as neck and fattening folds, small scars and occasional insect bites are not defects, but an unmistakable sign of the authenticity and naturalness of this material. The leather is approx. 1.7 – 2.0 mm thick.

Rhino

is robust, mineral-tanned cowhide with a vintage appearance.

The grain finish gives it excellent performance characteristics, but it still has a pleasant feel and a natural appearance. Its good technical characteristics make this leather suitable both for private living spaces and commercial use. The leather is approx. 1.2 – 1.4mm thick.

Rhodezia

is a bold, mineral-tanned, natural leather from cattle specially selected from the Zimbabwean bush.

It is a chunky, robust, pure aniline, dyed leather. Visible use has intentionally been made of all of the natural features, in order to reflect the naturalness of Africa. The leather is approx. 1.8 – 2.0 mm thick.

Sauvage

is a velvety-soft, aniline leather with fine, natural grain.

This leather retains its natural features and has a special, traditional finish. The leather is aniline drum-dyed only, a process that is done intentionally quickly to preserve the leather’s light core and to create a feature known as “drum mottling”. This creates interesting colour effects in the hide. All characteristic natural features such as scars, insect bites, neck folds and cuts from barbed wire etc. are retained. These features are natural, rather than artificially printed on, so they look individual and are different in every hide. They are proof of the promised naturalness and intentional expressiveness of this leather and can therefore obviously not be recognised as a complaint. The leather is approx. 0.9 – 1.1 mm thick.

Semalin

is an elegant, mineral-tanned, nappa leather from South American pampas cattle. The hides are slightly corrected and pre-embossed after drum dyeing.

The leather is then given a semi-aniline finish to dress it and to improve its performance characteristics. As a result, the leather largely retains its softness and breathability, despite the addition of small quantities of pigment. The naturally grain also remains clearly visible. The natural grain is not covered by the pigmentation, but slightly protected. The leather is approx. 1.2 – 1.4 mm thick.

Stallone

is a full-grain, natural, aniline cowhide with an unusual surface appearance and a pleasantly soft feel.

It is given a wax finish and gets coloured and then hand-buffed in places. Thereby interesting, good visible effects are created. When the leather is produced, natural features, such as scars, insect bites and neck folds etc are left visible as proof of the leather’s originality and can therefore obviously not be recognised as a complaint. The leather is approx. 1.2 – 1.4 mm thick.

Torres

is fine, mineral-tanned, dyed and pigmented cowhide in natural leather look.

The special finish gives it excellent performance characteristics, but it still has a soft feel and a natural appearance. Its good technical characteristics make this leather suitable both for private living spaces and commercial use. The leather is approx. 0.9 – 1.1 mm thick.

Wombat

is a grain leather with fine, even embossing.

Good care and performance characteristics are attained as a result of the surface pigmentation. Visible natural features and small, scarred wounds are signs of grained leather. The leather is approx. 0.9 – 1.1 mm thick.