American Alligator – Belly – “Suede” – Denim Blue

Grading: 

Grading of alligator skin is very subjective. Each tannery and supplier in the United States has their own quality standard with some grading all the way down to shit or grade 5 or 6. We keep it simple grade 1 and at a strict European standard or grade 2 with some viable defects you must shift your pattern away from when cutting. We don’t bother playing craps or rolling the dice with 1000’s of lower grade skins from the wild harvest or overcrowded farms. We only put into production European grade 1 skins with 90% of the skin usable from throat to tail. This is how luxury buyers for the major brands purchase and so should you as a designer.  After 20 years of buying and selling exotic skins what we stock, produce, and ship is exactly what you see on your screen. Having produced finished products for 10 years and thousands of exotic skins bags and accessories its surprising pleasant to work with higher grade alligator skins. Imagine making products from an alligator tail that look as good as from the center cut belly. Factor tail production into the costs of your products you produce and then rethink buying lower grades because all the best skins go to Europe which isn’t actually true anymore. 

Purchasing:

We want you to have a smooth and hassle-free experience shopping with us. Our staff have 20 years of experience in working with exotic leathers; if you are not sure which size or quantity of skins you need for your project, contact us prepared with the measurements of your pattern so we can assist  you with obtaining the right amount of material. In addition, look at our sizing charts and have realistic expectations. Always give yourself a bit of seam allowance and wiggle room. Several successful designers actually send us their patterns to keep on file so as skins come in we can notify them. With smaller bags being popular and having 90% of the skin usable, our clients can produce luxury handbags using just 1 skin. 

Legalities and Conservation:

Alligator skins are protected by US Laws and CITES Appendix II. They are legally traded, bought and sold in the United States and most countries abroad with the proper paperwork.

Currently, there are approximately 200 alligator farms in the United States. These farms (sometimes called banks or rehabilitation projects) are funded by tourism, grants from local governments, donations from conservationists and the hunting and CITES tag system. Other farms have a closed, sustained system for raising and supplying skins to the alligator leather trade, although some also get revenues from tourism. The popularity of the American Alligator, the value of its skin, and the conservation efforts leading to the reintroduction of the species into the wild has enabled the American Alligator to make an amazing comeback since their near extinction status in the 1970’s. Today, millions of alligators are living in the wild or in such farms and rehabilitation projects in the Southeastern United States.