What is realleather?
To Say in short -
Real Leather is Natural Animal hide.
Principally, Real leather means that type of leather which is not fake and not synthetic in nature. Various types of real leather are cow hide, skin made from chicken feet, bovine leather, sheep skin, snake skin, crocodile skin, goat skin and others.
Real leather is animal skin that has been prepared through the tanning process, or chemically treated, to prevent decay and part longevity. Tanning is the process of producing leather, which involves treating animal hides or skin, with either organic materials or inorganic chemicals
Real Leather gets better looking over time. This leather gets polished and gets a beautiful petina.
Real Leather has been made for centuries. It’s long-lasting, repairable, recyclable, biodegradable, and a by-product of the food industry. But manufacturers tan leather with environmentally non-friendly chemicals. However, animal rights advocates say that, leather is the result of the abuse and killing of animals for their skins.
Real leather is made from natural animal hide, and not from artificial materials. It is produced from the skins of animals such as cattle, sheep, goats, horses, buffalo, pigs, seals, chicken and alligators. Real leather is strong, flexible and durable. Real leather can be of any quality, from the lowest to the highest.
Real Leather is a natural product with variations in terms of colour, visible grain and creases. As each animal is unique and so their hide is different in its character, a beautiful and distinguished patina develops over time. Such is the uniqueness of real leather.
Types of Leather
Types of leather include:
Full Grain leather
Full-grain leather is the highest quality leather available. The top layer of the hide that has not been sanded or buffed to remove imperfections is known as Full Grain leather. Full grain leather is durable and will develop a patina over time. It is distinguished by its natural grain pattern and natural beauty.
Top Grain Leather
Top grain leather is the highest quality leather that can be used for furniture. It is similar to full grain leather. It is made from the top layer of the hide and has a natural grain surface. The grain surface is what gives the leather its unique look and feel. Top Grain Leather is known for its uniform texture and appearance, which comes from the tanning process and finishing techniques.
Nubuck Leather
Nubuck leather is top-grain cattle leather that has been sanded or buffed on the outer surface to give it a velvety nap. It is strong and durable, yet soft and flexible. Nubuck leather is similar to suede, but is created from the outer side of a hide, giving it more strength and thickness and a fine grain. It is generally more expensive than suede, and must be coloured or dyed heavily to cover up the sanding and stamping process.
Suede
Suede is made from the underside of the animal skin, mainly from goat, lamb, calf and deer. Under Splits from thicker hides of cow and deer are also called sueded, but, due to the fiber content, have a shaggy nap. Suede is softer and more pliable than the outer skin layer. Suede does not include the tough exterior skin layer, so this type of leather is not as durable. It is often used for shoes, gloves, clothing, upholstery, and other textile applications.
Faux or synthetic leather
As the name implies, Faux or synthetic leather is a material that is made to look like leather but is not actually made from animal skin. It is usually made from a plastic or fabric base, and then has a coating applied to it that gives it the appearance of leather.
Faux or synthetic leather is actually a fabric which is also known as Pleather, vegan leather, Naugahyde, synthetic leather, artificial leather, fake leather or ersatz leather.
Bonded leather
Bonded leather a mix of different kinds of leather that are attached to each other. The materials are often from shredded leather scraps and leather fibres. These particles are held together by bonding chemicals that unify them into a singular fabric. Bonded leather is sometimes a mix of real leather and fake leather. Many call it reconstituted leather because it comes from scraps. Sometimes referred to as blended or split grain leather as well.
PU leather
PU leather or Polyurethane leather is fake leather. It does not come from animal skin at all, but is an imitation of it. It has often had a leather look but sometimes has a synthetic feel to it. PU leather is also not as strong nor as durable as real leather. However, it does have the advantage of not involving any animals in the process. It is often marketed as Vegan Leather
Characteristics or properties of leather
There are many unique qualities of this material. Let us discuss these in a little detail. The following are the characteristics of leather:
☞ Adhesive friendliness
Leather is a highly adhesive-friendly material. This property of leather, makes it suitable for use in making shoes, bags, belts, and so on. The reason it works so well with adhesive is that it is made up of proteins and fats that are similar to the properties of human skin. Leather is resistant to heat and cold and thus the joints remains stable in all seasons.
☞ Durability
Durability is the most important characteristic of leather. As a result leather is used to make bags, shoes, furniture, musical instruments, belts, clothing, suitcases, etc. For this reason leather is used in the manufacturing of car seats and seats in airplanes. Due to its durability, it can be used over and over again.
☞ Easily mouldable
Leather is pliable, and soft and has the ability to be easily moulded into any shape. Such property is useful in making shoes, purses, bags, jackets, etc. Leather is also used in making car seats and seats in aeroplanes.
☞ Elasticity
Leather is elastic and can be stretched and contracted. This property is useful in making shoes, belts, bags and many more
☞ Oil Resistance
Leather does not easily tear and split when oiled. Due to this property, it is used in making upholstery and car seats.
☞ Water Resistance
As the name suggests, leather is resistant to water; this property makes it suitable for use in making shoes, bags, car seats and so on.
☞ Fire Resistance
Leather does not burn easily; this quality makes it ideal for use in making upholstery, shoes, furniture, car seats and many more.
☞ Wind Resistance
Good quality leather is always windproof and is protected from the vagaries of wind. This natural quality makes it ideal for use in making upholstery, shoes, furniture, car seats and many more.
What Is Fake Leather?
Fake leather is made from synthetic materials such as polyurethane.
The two primary types of fake leather are polyvinyl chloride and polyurethane, both plastic based. Another term for fake leather is “pleather,” short for plastic leather.
There’s also another type of fake leather, which is known as leatherette. It has a fabric base and plastic covering with looks of leather.
