Popular Leather That You “Must” Know To Go Fashionable

Leather is a commonly used material in fashion. In general, it is well known for its durability and flexibility. However, each type of leather has its own good and bad points. In order to know how to take advantages of each type, see our analysis below for references! 

About leather and leather types

Leather is the end product of tanning the rawhide of an animal so that it will become wearable, strong and easy to use. Leather is widely used in furniture, fashion and other stuff. However, in this blog, we will mention leather types used in fashion only. 

Regarding types of leather, there are many ways to put them into different categories. The easiest way to differentiate is to name them after the animal name, for example: cattle leather, ostrich foot leather, alligator leather, etc. You can find out top 5 most popular types of leather based on animals here. 

We can also divide them according to 2 main factors: tanning methods and grades. Knowing this, we can easily decide whether the items are suitable for our own purposes or not. 

Most popular types of leather based on tanning methods

Tanning is one of the steps in the production process. There are 3 basic steps: preparatory stages, tanning, and crusting. Among them, the tanning process plays a vital role in determining characteristics of leather. 

The tanning process will be dependent on the tanning liquor used in the process. There are 5 main types of liquor: 

1. Vegetable-tanned leather 

This method is the most traditional one. The tannix used are from vegetable matters. A typical one is tree bark in bark mills. 

Its most well-known advantage is that it builds character with age. If other leather may become less attractive after a long period of time, veg leather can become more and more charming with time remarks. 

Some other advantages are that it is eco-friendly, has natural smells, and easy to be crafted. 

However, it is not water resistant. This characteristic requires us to pay attention when using items made from veg leather. 

2. Chrome-tanned leather

The method is also really popular. Some statistics say that nearly 90% of leather produced on Earth is made using this method. The liquor used is chrome sulfate. We also call it “wet blue" because before being dyed, the leather has a colour of light blue. 

The best characteristic of this kind of leather is its water repellent. Besides, its colour stays unchanged despite time or weather conditions, which makes it a good material for fashion items. Its cost is also lower, more affordable in comparison with veg leather. 

However, this tanning process is not as environment-friendly as veg one. The smell is not natural and the colour is not, either.

Most popular types of leather based on grades

1. Full-grain leather 

The leather is considered to have the highest quality of all types. 

What makes full-grain leather different from others is its natural look. Everything including imperfections on the leather stay there on the leather through time. Strength and durability are also 2 other big advantages of full-grain leather.

However, its biggest drawback is the low cost. So you should consider this when choosing an item made of full-grain leather.

2. Top-grain leather 

In comparison to full-grain leather, top-grain is thinner and more workable for the manufacturer. The quality is not premium like full-grain, but it is still strong, durable and flexible. 

A typical characteristic of this leather is that it has a finish coat for protection. However, the refinishing process of top grain leather greatly reduces the leather’s breathability, and also prevents the leather from developing a natural patina over time.

Leather has many types, no matter what kind of categorization we are doing. Each type has its own good and bad sides, and all you need to do is to acknowledge before buying any leather fashion items!