Leathers are obtained from animal skin, most commonly they are obtained from cow hide. The relevance of leathers dates back to prehistoric times and it is still very much an integral feature in today’s fashion and design world as can be seen in custom leather patches.
Leather is used in everyday items like, bags, shoes, jackets, hats, blankets, beanies, shirts, and many more. In this article, we will talk about the types of leather and the advantages of using leather in fashion.
Data shows that cows supply a majority of the leather needs with a 65% supply, sheeps come next with 15%, 11% from pigs and 9% from goats.
Cowhide is the most common type of leather, and it is obtained from cow skin. It is a preferred choice for jackets, coats and furniture because of its heavy weight . It weighs between 1 to 12 ounces.
Sheepskin: This is the second most popular type of leather and it is often used in jackets, rugs, and clothes because it is tanned together with the fleece.
The leather obtained from pigs are used in gloves, shoes because of their water resistant properties.
Goat skin is typically easier to work with, the skin is thinner and is easily malleable. Hence they are used in making gloves, bags and rugs. Other types of leather can be obtained from crocodile, ostrich, snakes, alligator and they are referred to as exotic leathers. The problem with exotic leathers is because many of them are classified as endangered species, hence it is classified as unethical to kill them.
The uses of Leather
The following are uses of leather in today’s world:
- Leather is often used in the clothing industry, they are particularly used in making pants, shirts, jackets, skirts, and so on.
- In the footwear industry, leather is used for making boots, sandals, slippers and boots.
- Leather is used as a watch and jewelry strap.
- Leather is used for binding books.
- It is commonly used to make arrow quivers, knife sheaths, and gun holsters.
So what are the advantages of using leather? Find out in the next paragraph.
Advantages of using leather in fashion
- Durability: because of their toughness and strength, leather products seemingly lasts longer than similar products made with other materials. A leather product is resistant to water, scratch, and other things that make it different from other materials indeed.
- Flexibility: Leather are malleable despite their toughness, repeated use gets them to become even more flexible.
- Style: Leather adds fashion to any product when done right. Particularly, good quality leather is known to possess qualities like indicator quality, appreciation of elegance, strengths, and naturalness.
- Leather is not made in the laboratory, it is a natural product obtained from live animals and hence it does not create the possible discomfort associated with synthetic leathers. They are naturally comfortable to wear.
- Strength: A good leather is resistant to water, scratch, and to an extent fire does not affect it. It is also not affected by microbial activities.
- Leather is very easy to clean, Observations reveal dust doesn’t settle on leather and when there is a spill on it it can be easily wiped off.
These are some of the benefits to using leather but what about its disadvantages! Does it have any at all? Let’s find out.
Disadvantages of using leather
- Leather is costlier than other types of material.
- Leather should be kept under a well ventilated condition
- Once damaged, it’s difficult to repair leather. So you’ll have to get a new one as replacement.