When it comes to ethology, they stress the importance of imprinting: that is, the very first perception between customer and car is the one that makes the difference. That is why leather plays a role of paramount importance. British designer Marek Reichman, chief creative officer and executive vice-president of Aston Martin, pointed that out while speaking to New Atlas online magazine. “Why does one smell the scent of leather as soon as he opens the car door? – He said – Simply because we do not apply grain to our upholstery. Conversely, as regards 99% of leather used by other brands, they print grain. They are compelled to do it that way”. The British brand can do without it thanks to Scotland’s meat-leather industry: “We have chosen the hairy cow (the Highlander cow, in Italian, ed.). It is a longhaired Scottish bovine species. We do love it – happily emphasized Reichman -: since insects do not bite her, there are no scratches on her skin. Therefore, we do not have to print grain”. Scottish meat quality goes hand in hand with the tanning one: “Bridge of Weir is unique. It is one of the most eco-friendly tanneries in the world – added Reichman -. The tanning process requires a lot of water: since the tannery is located in the Highlands, they can benefit from a huge amount of high-quality water. That is why we are able to tan leather at full thickness. If you take leather made by any other luxury brand and cut it, you will see that colour lies just on its surface. In contrast, we dye our leather completely. We do not need to apply plastic covers on surface”. Such different processing is bound to intensify the imprinting, the perception experienced by customers as soon as they get in the car. “Consequently, when you open the car door, you immediately smell its scent – added Aston Martin manager –, because leather that covers interiors is as natural as possible”. In Reichman’s opinion, this is very important: “It is just a nuance, but such small details are the ones that make a car different. Thanks to particulars, customers fall in love with it”.
Picture from astonmartin.com
