Brooks quality control

what's changed is the leather. leather is a by-product of the meat industry. from what i understand, cattle farmers are under increasing pressure to bring their cows to market quicker, meaning they are fed hormones and slaughtered earlier. this means thinner, weaker leather.

That does make sense, even though, at least in the video clip, the Brooks' representative, if I remember correctly, said that they still use 5mm strong parts of the hide.