Craftsman creates translucent leather

KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
In the old days, a leather jacket was almost tough enough to stand in a corner by itself. It became the uniform of gritty macho motorcyclists because it was so strong.
And even though leather has grown softer and lighter, it's still hard to imagine a see-through airy skin like, say, chiffon. Well, maybe not as light as chiffon.
But it happened on the runway in Karl Lagerfeld's spring Fendi collection.
Cathy Horyn writes in The New York Times Magazine that Lagerfeld and his team found a factory in Florence where a craftsman worked for a year to master a leather that is supple, soft and, yes, translucent. She says the material emits less light and is therefore not as revealing as chiffon or lace. Rather it creates dramatic shadows so that you see a suggestion of body under a glassy surface.
It is not yet cost effective to produce in quantities, the Fendi people say. But it can be dyed, printed and laser cut. Embroidery is in the works.