The leather is called Merino.
And to get front seats with the upper articulating back...requires BMW's M-Multifunction Seats...they have 22-way functionality...the upper articulating back is initiated by using the two smaller buttons seen in the back rest seat switch in #2 in illustration below. The round button is the 4-way lumbar support and the two small buttons above the lumbar switch is the 2-way side bolster switch: