Guest Post - Gillio Compagna Epoca and Croco Leathers - Deborah

Let's Talk Gillio Compagna Epoca and Croco Leathers!

If any of you follow my blog - Thoughts and Exploration you've seen that the Gillio Firenze planner  bug has bitten me hard.  I've noticed that many people have questions about the difference between the Croco and the Epoca leather.  I've pulled out both of my Gillios in the Compagna model and have done a little leather comparison below.  For those of you who have been considering buying one, I hope this helps.  For this post I'm using my medium Compagnas in Epoca black/orange and Croco blue.

The Look...

The first obvious difference between the Epoca and the Croco leather is the look of the leather.  The Epoca leather is smoother, although it does have a texture to it, while the Croco leather has a nice embossed croc print on it.

They each have the same exact internal design.  I won't discuss the inside structure since this post is about the difference in the two leathers.  They both come with the famous Gillio leather page/flyleaf.

The Feel...

Both leathers are incredibly soft and squishy!  The Compagna planners have no stiffening material between the leather so it's just soft yet still somewhat structured leather.  True high quality leathers.

They are both lovely to touch.  The slightly textured Epoca leather does feel a bit more "uniform" when compared with the detailed embossing of the croco leather.  The Croco leather's detailing, the subtle differences make it a treat to look at because of the interesting pattern.  The Croco leather also has a somewhat fuzzy feel to it.  Like extremely fine suede.  Some have called it "powdery."

Colors...

Gillio offers a rainbow of colors in their leathers.  I think that the Epoca leather colors are a bit less adventurous than the Croco leather colors.  If you go to their website you can actually order samples of the leathers that you are interested in seeing.  Check the site to see which colors are currently in stock.  There are also rumors that Gillio will be offering new colors later this year.

The Epoca leather colors include red, dark brown, gold, black, burgundy, orange, and green.  There are also dual-colored combinations in the Epoca leather.  The first listed color describes the outside leather's color and the second listed color describes the inside leather's color - black/orange, dark brown/cream, and cream/dark brown.  The Croco leather colors are brown, black, aubergine, red, honey, fuchsia, beige, grey, and blue.

Durability...

I believe that both the Epoca and the Croco leathers are equally as durable.  They both feel amazingly strong and supple and thick.  That being said, the Croco leather is considered a bit more "delicate" than the Epoca leather.  Scratches on the Epoca leather can be rubbed out, magically making the scratch disappear!  Don't believe me?  Watch Tom Van Haelen's scratch test video!  Scratches on the Croco leather, in my experience, do become less noticeable by rubbing the leather but they don't completely disappear.

Aging...

Both of my planners have become softer and squishier with use.  If you watch Tom's scratch test video, you can see how beautifully the Epoca leather ages!  It develops a beautiful shiny patina and the leather becomes even smoother.  My Croco leather has begun to develop a patina as well.  Although the leather hasn't become smoother, it has developed a bit of a shine to it.

Both leathers have wonderful characteristics to them and each planner is unique.  Personally, I don't think you can go wrong with either of the two types of leather!

Thank you Deborah for a great guest post.  And if you would like to submit a guest post of our 'Thursday Guest Post' spot them please contact philofaxy at gmail dot com