Natural cowhides come in a variety of patterns. You can find anything from the solid and spotted varieties to black and golden brindle, blue and strawberry roan and black-chestnut piebald. Hides have become all the rage in interior design and decoration and are considered a hot commodity that can add ‘oomph’ to any space. They are being used as rugs, cushions, blankets and bed throws, owing to their functionality and uniqueness. Whatever the style and ambience of a room, a cowhide can blend in effortlessly.
Kura Perkins and Bree Hay-Hendry, a sister team from western Australia, were quick to recognise the real potential of cowhides and began using it for their collections of rugs and other home design products. Their story began when Kura was introduced to premium-quality, Argentinian cowhides during a sourcing trip in South America. Impressed with the quality, natural characteristics, durability and its potential as a tactile material for a range of applications, Kura partnered with her sister Bree, a Fashion and Textile Designer, to create what is now known as Art Hide.
The duo take inspiration from fashion, interior design trends and nature to produce a range of custom and bespoke artisan cowhide rugs, accessories and applications that are unique not only to the Australian market, but to the world over.
Another reason why this project became a passion for the pair was because Kura and Bree were completely blown away by how child-friendly cowhides were. Cowhides contain natural oils, giving the textile a wonderful protective layer, making them extremely durable. Being parents themselves – with five girls between the two of them – the sisters know how much wear-and-tear a hide can go through during the endless sessions of being jumped on, run over with toy cars, used as secret indoor campsites, or just seeing their little ones running around on them. And what’s better, hide is both hypoallergenic and easy to clean. Since their natural oils protect them from spills and stains, cowhide carpeting and cushions are among the easiest kinds to keep clean for homes with children.
Apart from being natural, Art Hide also prides itself on its sustainable products and ethical sourcing of hides. “Art Hide’s premium-quality cowhides are sourced as a by-product of the meat industry from regulated tanneries, where methods involved in tanning and dyeing are always safe for workers and are non-pollutant. We’re proud to work with the most talented leather craftspeople and the most reputable suppliers. Everything we do is vetted for quality, safety and sustainability. It was especially important to us to source a material that was sustainable, but also of the highest quality in terms of both aesthetics and longevity,” says Kura.
Art Hide continually aims to take the raw aesthetic of a beautiful, natural textile to a whole new level through its innovative designs and techniques. Bree further elaborates: “We introduced contemporary designs and colours as well as a range of innovative hide finishing techniques, such as laser burning, while still respecting and playing to the strengths of cowhides’ natural beauty. Cowhide is a beautiful textile, however, because it is natural, there are many unique opportunities and challenges when working with it. We always try and push the boundaries of what we think is possible. Our manufacturing team will quite often say we can’t do it and we have, so far, always managed to prove them wrong.”
Art Hide’s focus for this year is to use its signature laser burning technique to create exciting and evolutionary designs in terms of creativity, while experimenting with new colours and tones.