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Man-made leather vs. natural leathers


Category: Grain leather luggage

Cattle hide is the primary raw material used in the making of those beautiful pieces of leather luggage, upholstery, jackets and other novelties.
The hide (raw skin) is put through a tanning process to lend durability and versatility necessary for various applications. Man made leather on the other hand is synthetically processed by spreading a mix of linseed oil, dryers and pigments over calico. The mix is applied several times till the required level of finish is obtained. Once the gloss level like in the case of an enamel paint is achieved, a final coat of copal varnish is applied. Man made leather is also known as artificial leather. Now, let us turn our attention to how man made leather compares with natural leather.

Natural leather

The life of natural leather is almost five times that of man made leather in ideal usance conditions. It has a higher versatility coupled with elegance. Horses, buffaloes, cows and steers are the most common animal skins used to produce leather. China and Korea are the major processors of leather, while the USA generates majority of the hides. Preservation of hides is achieved by keeping them in salt till they are ready for tanning. Leather being a natural product adjusts itself to variations in climatic conditions which would in turn help dimensional stability of your leather luggage. Hides (the basic raw material for finished leather) originating from the northern hemisphere which has cooler climate are considered higher in quality because of the conditions in which the animals live there. In contrast, the hides from the southern hemisphere where hot conditions prevail get a lower rating since the animals in those regions do not enjoy ideal living conditions. Leather is rugged and abrasion resistant and hence can be employed in most demanding conditions.

Man-made leather

There can be very little comparison between man made leather and natural leather because they belong to different classes altogether.
The only thing that is common between the two, is the physical appearance. Even so, regular users of natural leather can quickly differentiate between the two. In certain communities, leather is associated with certain religious sentiments. Pig leather for example is taboo with Muslims, while cow leather does not find favor with Hindus. In such situations, man-made leather can position itself as a compromise. In modern times, some of the sophisticated varieties of man made leather competes well with natural leather, particularly in appearance. Therefore, when you are shopping for leather luggage, make sure to choose a reliable vendor.

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