Lately, we’ve noticed a lot of trim shops sharing photos on social media of car interiors draped in Moore & Giles’ Tribeca leather. We wanted to know why.
To find out, we asked a trusted trimmer who replied: “Give it a try and see for yourself.”
Ok, fair enough. So we ordered a hide of Tribeca — in Indigo — and put it to the test, judging it on look, feel, ease of application, performance and durability.
Below is our no-holds-barred review.
What is Tribeca leather?
Tribeca is a corrected-grain bovine leather that’s hand-produced in Italy. It’s chrome tanned, which isn’t great for the environment. But Moore & Giles complies with all government regulations and even offsets carbons used in the tanning process, making Tribeca a carbon-neutral leather.
Because it’s a semi-aniline leather, the hide is coated in a light protective layer that’s slightly pigmented. As a result, the natural grain and pores of the leather are less visible, but its color is more uniform and durable.
Although Tribeca is an automotive-grade leather, it’s frequently used in other applications — including residential and commercial design.
How does it look and feel?
Simply gorgeous.
Because Tribeca is a corrected-grain leather, it’s been sanded and buffed to remove scars and other imperfections from the surface. It’s also been embossed with a medium pebble grain pattern.
It’s available in 38 vibrant tones, including our favorites Cobalt, Chianti, Juniper and Orchid. Our hide was Indigo.
Best of all, Tribeca is soft to the touch. That’s because it’s chrome, not vegetable, tanned. Vegetable tanned hides usually take much longer to break in.
The instant softness of Tribeca gives it a high-end, luxury feel — which we love!
Is Tribeca easy to work with?
Yes, most definitely.
One of the many benefits of chrome tanning is that it leaves leather light and with higher tensile strength. This makes it easy to stretch, especially around oddly shaped interior panels. It’s not as drapey or pliable as Moore & Giles’ Vita leather, but still really easy to work with.
Tribeca’s corrected grain and semi-aniline coating also ensure that it’s consistent throughout, so you don’t have to pick and choose which parts to cut from to make a uniform look throughout the interior.
By the way, the hide is pretty big — measuring 50 square feet.
What about its performance and durability?
Durable is an understatement.
Tribeca has an average thickness of 1 – 1.2 mm, so it’s tough enough to be used on seats. That semi-aniline coating we mentioned earlier also adds to the durability and makes it great for high-traffic areas. (Which is why it’s sometimes used in residential and commercial design).
That’s not all, the chromium sulphate used in the tanning process makes Tribeca more water, stain and heat resistant than most vegetable-tanned leathers. Its high tensile strength also means you can stretch it pretty significantly without worrying about tears.
Long story short, Tribeca is not a fragile leather. I wouldn’t hesitate to use it in daily drivers.
Final thoughts
If you’re in the market for a leather that has a high-end look and feel, but is still durable enough for daily use — Tribeca is a no-brainer.
It’s as luxurious as Moore & Giles’ line of Vita leather, but is available in a wider range of colors and has a more pronounced pebble grain.
We certainly wouldn’t hesitate to put it in show interior, especially one where we’re seeking a bit of texture.
Additionally, we appreciated how Moore & Giles packaged and shipped our Tribeca hide. It was wrapped over a tube and shipped in a large cardboard box to avoid creases and folds.
As the headline says, we put Tribeca to the test — and it passed with flying colors.
How do I order Tribeca leather?
To start ordering from Moore & Giles, visit mooreandgiles.com and register for a trade account. After you do that, a member of their sales team will be in touch and get you sorted.
With a trade account, you’ll have access to hundreds of high-quality automotive-grade leather hides, including Tribeca.
In the mean time, you can follow Moore & Giles on Instagram @mooreandgilesonthemove. You should also follow Division Manager Randy Maggard (@Rbestleather) for exciting announcements, and car show and customer shop coverage.
Randy is a great contact for any and all questions you have about Moore & Giles’ automotive leather.
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