The Leather Basics
There is a lot of terminology and jargon thrown around when discussing leather – genuine, top grain, vegetable tanned, chrome tanned…but most consumers aren’t familiarized with what these terms actually mean. It’s hard to know exactly what you’re buying without that knowledge, and it’s easy to end up with inferior products that don’t hold up how you might have expected them to. Knowing some of the basics will help you make informed choices, whether you’re concerned about quality, durability, ethics, or even how to care properly for your leather pieces. I’ve put together this quick primer to help; I do generalize a bit, in order to keep it brief, but I’ve included what I consider the fundamental basics.
Starting with the Source
Cowhide is one of the most commonly used hides for leather apparel and accessories – as a byproduct of the meat industry, it is readily available, and it makes one of the toughest, most durable leathers you can buy. All of the leather used in Culte du Cuir’s products are made from cowhide – this is due to its superior durability, look, and feel. Buffalo leather is an excellent choice as well, but cowhide is slightly softer (generally) and offers a more smooth, uniform grain than buffalo leather, making it the better choice for Culte du Cuir’s leather goods.
Leather Types
This is a particularly important piece for consumers, as this is where many people are often fooled when they purchase leather goods. When you hear ‘genuine leather’, you likely feel positively about it – but with leather, genuine doesn’t just mean ‘real’. Technically, ‘genuine leather’ refers to a specific layer of hide, and while it’s often used to indicate that it’s real leather (as you’ll see done on this site), it is also frequently used to deceive consumers. Often bonded leather (made of small bits of real leather that are glued together into a sheet – it’s the particle board of leather) is labeled ‘genuine’, since technically speaking, it IS made using leather. More on bonded leather later…
The highest quality leather is the topmost layer – called ‘Full Grain Leather’. This layer is made up primarily of the leather ‘grain’, and has the finest fibers, the smoothest texture, and is the most durable part of the hide. The leather’s grain provides the best surface texture, and it only improves with age, developing patina over time.
The next level of leather quality is called ‘Top Grain Leather’. This leather has some of the leather’s grain on its surface, as the name implies, but also contains deeper layers of the hide, where the fibers are more coarse and less durable than the grain.
Third, we get to ‘Genuine Leather’ or Suede. This refers to leather made up of corium, or deepest layer of skin, just before the flesh. The corium is coarsely grained and the least durable layer of leather.
Then there’s bonded leather, which is made up of leather bits, often from scrap, and is held together using polyurethane. While there are benefits to bonded leather – such as reducing waste by using up scrap leather and a significantly lower cost – it’s often labeled as ‘genuine’ leather, due to the fact that it does contain leather. This is intentionally deceptive and fools a lot of people who think they’re buying something made from a continuous piece of hide. Polyurethane breaks down, especially with heavy use and when exposed to a lot of sunlight – and so bonded leather breaks down much faster than a piece of leather hide. You won’t get the durability or longevity of other leather with bonded leather. This is also often referred to as composite leather, vinyl, and reconstituted leather. The surface is usually textured so that it can be hard to tell it apart from other leather – the smell of the polyurethane often gives it away, however.
Culte du Cuir’s pieces are all made using exclusively Full Grain Leather. Quality and durability is the focus of this small business, providing accessories that will hold up to wear and last for decades with care. It also serves the brand’s focus on sustainability, by extending the use of each piece – instead of ending up in landfills, these pieces will be usable for as long as you wish to use them – and can be resold or rehomed even after that!
Leather Tanning Methods
The last piece on leather basics is the tanning process. Hides aren’t technically leather until they are tanned, which is what the process of treating hide in order to preserve it is called. Humans have been tanning leather since ancient times – using methods still used today. Hides were soaked in concentrated solutions containing tannins, which were derived from tree bark and certain plant leaves.
Vegetable tanning is what that process is now called – and it’s still widely used today. Vegetable tanned leather is the most durable and often has a firmer feel than other methods. Vegetable tanned hides are usually considered the most ecologically friendly method since it doesn’t rely on the use of chemicals. The process of vegetable tanning is time consuming, however, which is why newer methods were invented to speed up the process. Vegetable tanned leather tends to be the most expensive option.
Chrome tanning uses chromium sulfate to preserve the hide – a process that takes considerably less time than vegetable tanning. The resulting leather is durable but doesn’t age in the way that naturally tanned leather does; it doesn’t soften or develop patina over time, and the overall lifespan of the leather is not as prolonged. Chrome tanning has a bad reputation due to the environmental impact of the chemicals used. The process has been improved a lot since it’s invention – but outdated and irresponsible practices are often used, especially in third world countries, where workers are also often exploited and exposed to chemicals that are hazardous to their health in addition to the harm to the environment. Chrome tanning done in Europe and in the US is highly regulated, and not as bad for the environment, but the process still has a long way to go. Chrome tanned leather tends to be the least expensive option.
Oil tanning uses animal and fish oils and results in a strong leather that is also soft and supple from the oil. The pros: it’s softer than vegetable tanned leather (and chrome tanned in my experience) right out of the gate, whereas vegetable tanned leather usually needs some breaking in. It’s also less expensive, in general, than vegetable tanned leather. The cons: it doesn’t match the durability of vegetable tanned leather, but it does tend outlast chrome tanned leather. Because it’s so rich in oil, which gives it its buttery feel, it doesn’t take finishes as well as leather tanned with other methods (like glossy finishes). It does get better with age, much like vegetable tanned leather, and develops patina. Oil tanned leather is generally slightly more affordable than vegetable tanned.
Culte du Cuir uses a mix of vegetable tanned and oil tanned leather. The bulk of the displayed pieces are made with black leather, which is primarily oil tanned. Pieces that are natural/vanilla colored are all vegetable tanned leather. Chrome tanned leather is never used in the shop; the quality and supple feel just aren’t there. Oil tanned leather is the leather of choice due to the fantastic feel and high quality, as well as keeping prices lower– tanned using Italian tech and natural vegetable oils, this leather is the perfect balance of quality and affordability.
Most of the leather in Culte du Cuir is sourced from European Leather Works; a California based company that provides high quality leather from domestic and European sourced cows. They are a family owned company, and work with tanneries that are ethical – both in the treatment of animals as well as the reduction of their environmental impact. Culte du Cuir chose this source with intention, as it aligns with the brand’s values. As a responsible small business, I believe transparency is key in providing thoughtful, ethical products to you.
I hope this guide was informative and helpful – maybe even a little interesting! If you have any special requests with regard to the leather used for your piece, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m happy to accommodate any requests as long as it’s within my ability.
Comments