traditionally tanned, not mass produced & genuinely made by hand. naturally processed with bark tannins & tallow.

Bark Tanned Brushtail Possum Skin Cloaks. These cloaks will never be mass-produced as I prioritize quality & aim to stay as a small business. Check this page out to learn more about how I prepare them, how pricing is decided etc.

our process

First the skin is fleshed by hand on a fleshing beam with a fleshing blade. The skin is cleaned of all flesh & fat, it is then washed in water with natural soap. From there, it is left to soak in a Mimosa/Acacia Mearnsii bark tannin solution from 4 to 10+ days. Once it has achieved full tannin penetration & the collagen fiber structure has been permanently transmuted into leather. It’s then pulled out & washed of excess tannin particles.

The skin is then “skudded” or scraped on the beam again to remove residual membrane. It’s then left to completely dry out near a fire or in the sun. Once dry, the skins are re-moisturized with water & stretched. Tallow (and sometimes with beeswax) is then applied to the gutside of the skin. In combination with being exposed to heat, being cabled on a wire & stretched by hand, it is then dried n stretched until it is supple. It is then sanded by hand with pumice to get a nice, smooth finish.

How do i price the cloaks?

Custom Order:

When ordering a custom possum cloak. I will first get in contact with trappers who can provide the necessary amount of skins, then get a deposit from you.

Then I would buy the skins covering the costs of raw skins myself. Tan the skins, make the cloak according to your specifications, organize what material to be used for lining (which you cover the costs for) then send the finished piece once rest of the payment has been fulfilled.


Pre-made Cloak available on website:

Every 2-5 weeks I’ll aim to upload cloaks onto the website for sale.

I will purchase skins from a trapper, tan the skins, then sell the cloak via the store on this website. I cover costs of the raw skins & do not put it on top of the price of the final cloak.

The price will be $48 - $54 per skin, both for custom & pre-made ready to purchase cloaks in the store.

  • Small/XSmall Skin Cloak: $48 per skin
    Medium - Large Skin Cloak : $52 per skin

  • XLarge Skin Cloak: $54 per skin

store
store
contact
contact

Understanding, patience & amicability is appreciated whilst I endeavor on this journey to build a small business based around the production of traditionally/naturally tanned hides & furs.

My aim with pricing is to ensure it’s fair for both me, other trappers & the customers. Bare with me whilst these foundations are established as adjustments will need to be made overtime as to how I go about carrying out this process. But also while I invest into the tanning shed, equipment & my tanning setup.

Thanks, Jaydon - TTNZ

my intention.