National Trademark Specimen // Specimen Dossier 0.35mm

The world benchmark in
high-altitude sheepskin.

Bred above 3,000 metres on the Ethiopian plateau, a rare hair sheep produces an extraordinary skin: featherweight, microscopically dense in collagen fibers, and capable of being finished down to 0.35 mm while preserving world-class tensile and tear endurance.

GAUGE FINENESS 0.35 mm Ultra-Thin Cabretta

ORIGIN ALTITUDE >3,000m Highland Plateau ASL

GLOBAL TRADEMARKS 05 USA, Japan, EU, UK & ET

LIDI ACCREDITED ISO/IEC Certified Laboratory 17025

SPECIMEN SERIES ETHIOPIAN HIGHLAND LEATHER

FIBER ANATOMY HAIR SHEEP · DENSE COLLAGEN MESH

“Opening new possibilities of leather through microscopic fiber density.”

ELEVATION: 3,200M ASL · AMHARA & OROMIA HIGHLANDS

SCIENTIFIC PROPERTIES

Material Anatomy & Differentiation

Peer-reviewed laboratory studies by the Leather Industry Development Institute (LIDI) confirm the distinct cellular advantages of Ethiopian highland sheepskin.

PROPERTY 01 // GAUGE FINENESS

0.35 mm Featherweight Gauge

Unlike common sheep or bovine leather which requires aggressive mechanical splitting and skiving to reduce weight, Highland Cabretta naturally achieves a gossamer thinness down to 0.35 mm while retaining its tight epidermal grain. This featherweight gauge makes it the world’s foremost material choice for high-precision gloving and lightweight luxury outerwear.

CALIPER 0.35–0.45 mm

APPLICATION Golf & Fashion Gloves

FINISH Full Natural Grain

PROPERTY 02 // FIBER ARCHITECTURE

High-Tensile Collagen Mesh

Sheep living above 3,000 metres in alpine conditions do not deposit subcutaneous fat layers. Instead, their cellular dermis is composed of tightly interlocked, multidirectional collagen fibrils. This biological adaptation produces superior tensile strength (>20 N/mm²) and puncture endurance, outperforming common sheepskin by more than 40%.

TENSILE STRENGTH >20 N/mm² (ISO 3376)

FLEX ENDURANCE 50,000 Cycles (Bally)

TEAR LOAD >25 N (ISO 3377)

PROPERTY 03 // TACTILE DRAPE

Buttery Touch & Full-Aniline Purity

Because Ethiopian highland sheepskins are naturally low in natural grease, tanning liquor and aniline dyes penetrate directly into the core fibers without requiring heavy surface resins, pigments, or artificial embossings. The resulting hide possesses a pure, buttery drape that breathes naturally and ages with an authentic patina.

DYE METHOD Drum-Dyed Aniline

BREATHABILITY High Vapor Permeability

SURFACE Zero Synthetic Film

PROPERTY 04 // CIRCULAR ORIGIN

100% Upcycled Pastoral Heritage

Every square decimeter of Ethiopian Highland Leather is a 100% upcycled by-product of generational food culture. Flocks graze free across native highland pastures without chemical hormone feed, commercial factory stalls, or deforestation footprint. Certification includes annual physical traceability audits from pasture to tannery gate.

ORIGIN Pastoral Food By-Product

TRACEABILITY LIDI Batch Tagged

HABITAT Alpine Savanna Grasslands

GLOBAL INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Protected in 5 International Jurisdictions

Owned and managed exclusively by ELIA, the Ethiopian Highland Leather trademark guarantees authentic highland provenance, certified tanning standards, and strict chain of custody.

UNITED STATES

USPTO Registry

New York & Alexandria, VA

JAPAN

JPO Trademark

Tokyo, Japan

EUROPEAN UNION

EUIPO Protected Mark

Alicante, Spain

UNITED KINGDOM

UKIPO Registry

London & Newport, UK

ETHIOPIA

EIPA National Mark

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

LICENSED PRODUCERS

Certified Master Tanneries

Four specialized finished leather manufacturers have satisfied rigorous LIDI audits to earn the official license to produce and export certified Ethiopian Highland Leather.

LICENSED EHL TANNERY // 01

Davimpex Bahir Dar Tannery PLC

Located on the shores of Lake Tana, specialized in ultra-soft gloving leather and garment sheepskin. Equipped with modern stainless steel drums and computerized drying tunnels producing luxury Cabretta grades for European and Asian fashion buyers.

davimpexoperationalmg@gmail.com
Tel. +251 115 535 978 · Mob. +251 912 073 375
www.bahirdartannery.com

LICENSED EHL TANNERY // 02

ELICO PLC (Awash Tannery)

Part of MIDROC Investment Group, Awash Tannery is one of Ethiopia’s largest, most technologically sophisticated leather manufacturing complexes. Renowned for full-grain highland sheepskin, aniline suede, and premium footwear lining leathers.

corporatemarketingelico@gmail.com
Tel. +251 114 707 413 · Mob. +251 911 465 806
www.elicoplc.com.et

LICENSED EHL TANNERY // 03

New Wing Addis Shoe & Tannery PLC

An Italian-Ethiopian joint venture combining European finishing chemistry with Ethiopian highland raw hides. Specialized in high-performance footwear uppers, vegetable-retanned goat and sheepskin, and dress shoe components.

newwingaddis@gmail.com
Tel. +251 922 463 287 · Mob. +251 911 474 563
www.newwing.com.hk

LICENSED EHL TANNERY // 04

Pittards-Ethiopia Tannery

Tracing its lineage to British heritage leathercraft since 1826, Pittards operates an extensive tannery in Modjo specialized in water-resistant performance leather, military and tactical glove skins, and world-championship golf glove Cabretta.

Modjo Industrial Corridor · Addis Ababa Liaison Certified in Ethiopian Highland Leather production under LIDI annual protocol.

INTERNATIONAL CRAFT COOPERATION

Technical Cooperation with Japanese Master Artisans

Since 2013, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has partnered with ELIA to elevate Ethiopian Highland Leather into a global luxury champion.

PHASE 01 // 2013–2016

Champion Product Strategy

Following exhaustive economic and material evaluations, sheepskin from the Ethiopian highlands was selected as the nation’s flagship industrial product. Dedicated branding, trademark registrations, and promotional showcases were executed in Tokyo, Paris, and New York.

PHASE 02 // 2017–2021

Master Artisan In-Factory Training

JICA dispatched master tanning chemists, bespoke footwear artisans, and luxury leather bag craftsmen to work alongside Ethiopian workers inside local tanneries, refining pattern cutting, skiving tolerances, edge staining, and chemical drum recipes.

PHASE 03 // 2022+

LIDI Certification Guidebook

Codified the rigorous Ethiopian Highland Leather Guidebook in collaboration with LIDI. Establishes annual audit criteria for raw material origin, physical tensile ratings, chemical safety compliance, and environmental wastewater standards.

Directory of 191+ Members Sustainability & LIDI Audits Specifier Sourcing Desk

TRADEMARKED SPECIMEN · 0.35MM CABRETTA · ETHIOPIA