Many people struggle to fully understand the concept of genuine leather. What is genuine leather? Is genuine leather real leather? We’ll answer these questions and more besides in this article, helping you to understand the ins and outs of genuine leather.
What Is Genuine Leather?
Genuine leather is a term that is sometimes used to refer to any type of leather product containing at least some proportion of leather. This can be a misleading phrase, as many people think genuine leather means they’re getting 100% pure leather.
What makes it even more confusing is that many artisan makers and businesses use the words genuine leather to refer to high-quality leather goods. Unfortunately, since genuine means real, many people use the term genuine leather in that context.
Which brings us to the next question.
What Is Genuine Leather Made of?
Genuine leather consists of at least 1% real leather. However, that doesn’t mean that the product consists fully of high-quality leather. True genuine leather (in terms of grading) is sometimes some of the lowest-quality leather since it consists of many layers of low-grade leather that have been bonded together and then painted.
However, as mentioned above, the term is confusing and can be misleading. It’s best to take the time to discuss the matter with the store where you’re buying as they may be using true, high-quality leather.
Is Genuine Leather Real Leather?
As with many other types of leather, genuine leather is made from the hides of animals. In that sense, it is real leather. In terms of quality, that’s debatable. When you buy truly high-quality leather, you’re getting one solid layer of leather. When you buy genuine leather, you’re getting multiple layers of lower-quality leather that have been processed into a single thick layer.
But again, many makers and businesspeople don’t realize that this is what the term actually refers to. A product marked genuine leather may sometimes refer to truly high-quality full or top-grain leather.
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Genuine Leather Meaning: Types of Leather
Genuine leather, as a label, encompasses a nearly staggering array of different leather compositions. However, most people buy it thinking they’re getting a brilliant deal on 100% leather products. Nothing could be further from the truth, so let’s take a closer look at the different types of leather on offer.
Full Grain Leather
Full grain leather comes from the uppermost layer of an animal hide. This translates into a higher quality leather with greater durability.
It may be used for everything from wallets to satchels and even seat upholstery. Anywhere that you want leather to last for generations to come.
Top Grain Leather
Top grain leather consists of a part of the hide’s upper layer, though it may not be as tough as full grain leather. It’s also softer than full grain leather, which means it often gets used in the making of leather clothing items, where that pliability is appreciated.
Split Grain Leather
Split grain leather, also known as corrected grain leather consists of the leather taken from the bottom of the hide. It’s a softer type of leather, making it ideal for certain purposes, but it also tends to be weaker than top grain or full grain leather.
That said, you can generally still expect this type of leather to have a long lifespan, and be reasonably durable, with good care. You may find split grain leather like suede used in the making of casual shoes, gloves, or even furniture.
Genuine Leather
In terms of grading, this term gets used so often that it may refer to almost any quality or type of leather.
Typically, however (especially in suspiciously cheap products), it refers either to the lower-grade leather taken from the middle of the hide. As a result, the leather lacks the strength and flexibility of some other types of leather.
However, pay careful attention when buying genuine leather products, as the term may easily refer to any of the leather types and grades listed here.
Bonded Leather
Bonded leather is the lowest grade of leather available. It doesn’t consist of any specific part of the hide. Instead, it consists of leather dust and scraps that have been bonded together to create a sort of ‘leather sheet.’
While this is definitely a far more affordable leather type, it isn’t nearly as durable as any of the other types. Since it doesn’t consist of layers of true leather but rather a bonded assortment of leftover scraps, it has a significantly shorter lifespan and can be susceptible to staining and disintegration.
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Leather Types: At a Glance
We’ve constructed this handy comparison table so you can see what the different types of leather have to offer.
Genuine Leather vs. Faux Leather
Next to “What’s genuine leather?” one of the most common questions we encounter is, “Are there any advantages to genuine leather?” To help illustrate the point, we’re going to compare genuine leather to faux leather. Below, we’ll demonstrate how even relatively low-grade leather has considerable advantages over fake or faux leather.
What Does Genuine Leather Mean in Terms of Benefits?
Now that we’ve looked at the different aspects around leather grades, and the fact that the term genuine leather is somewhat malleable, let’s take a closer look at graded genuine leather. There are actually several advantages to this type of leather.
Affordability
Since graded genuine leather isn’t the highest leather quality, it’s one of the most affordable options. The advantage that you get with genuine leather, compared to bonded leather or faux leather, is that it doesn’t come at the expense of durability.
While it may not last as long as top-grain leather, it can still last for decades when well cared for. This makes it an excellent option if you want leather but don’t want to spend your life savings on it.
Easy Availability
Unlike some other types of leather, genuine leather is readily available. You can easily buy these items online or at flea markets. They are truly everywhere, which means you don’t have to look far to find the products you’re looking for.
Durability
One of the most significant advantages of buying genuine leather is that it’s reasonably durable. Sure, it might not be as durable as top grain leather, but it’s still a great option when well cared for.
That’s why we often see it used in accessories like belts and wallets. When well cared for, it can withstand heavy use without losing its luster.
The key is to ensure that the weather remains clean and well-moisturized.
Versatility
Genuine leather is incredibly versatile and can be used in a wide range of applications. Whether you’re in the market for fashion accessories, shoes, pet gear, or even upholstery, you know that you’ll find an option that’s genuine leather.
Thanks to this versatility, you’ll see many different businesses, artisans, and suppliers, using this kind of leather.
Appearance and Texture
In just a minute, we’ll discuss the limited appearance of genuine leather as a disadvantage. However, there’s also one great advantage to this kind of leather.
It has a natural leather look, which is excellent if that’s what you’re looking for. Especially when considering its versatility and durability, and that it comes at an excellent price.
There’s another aspect to this, though. Genuine leather takes leather dyes exceptionally well, which translates to having access to a vast variety of different leather colors.
While this doesn’t necessarily translate to the same diversity of appearance and texture that you’d get from top grain leather, it does give you a vast array of options in terms of color and overall appearance.
Disadvantages of Genuine Leather
As you’ve already seen throughout this article, there are also some disadvantages to buying genuine leather. It’s an excellent option, in terms of affordability, but it still has minor disadvantages. Let’s take a closer look.
Lower Quality Than Top or Split Grain Leather
While genuine leather is a much better option than bonded or faux leather, it doesn’t offer the same quality as some of the other grades and types of leather.
Since the leather comes from the lower layers of the animal’s hide, it may go through a range of different treatment processes to get the overall effect that manufacturers want. Thanks to these treatment processes, genuine leather may lack the natural beauty of any other type of leather.
Limited Appearance and Aesthetics
As with the quality of the leather, genuine leather may lack the wide range of natural diversity that the uppermost layers of the hide offers.
That said, just because genuine leather lacks the distinct array of appearances offered by other types of leather doesn’t mean that it’s entirely unattractive. It's just more uniform than top-grain leather.
Limited Durability
As mentioned above, this type of leather is reasonably durable. However, it is still more susceptible to wear and tear than the higher grades of leather. It may crack, crease, or fade with time. But, if you take good care of it, moisturizing and cleaning the leather regularly, you can avoid many of these issues.
The key to durability with genuine leather is simply to ensure that you take leather care seriously and don’t allow it to dry out. In the case of fading, it’s also possible to reapply the leather dye to the product.
Buying Genuine Leather: Tips and Considerations
As we’ve mentioned since the very start of this article, the label genuine leather may be used under any range of conditions. As a result, it becomes essential to know what you’re looking for in a leather product.
So here are our top tips and things to consider when buying genuine leather.
Know Your Leather!
Since the genuine leather label is so muddled that it is essentially meaningless when it comes to many different types of leather products, it’s important to get to know the different types of leather.
Ensure that you know and can visually identify the differences between the different types of leather. This will help you to distinguish between genuine leather, top grain leather, and split grain leather.
More importantly, it will help ensure that you’re not accidentally buying bonded or faux leather.
Research Brands and Read Labels
When it comes down to it, most of the brands you can trust are truly proud of their work. This means that the product labels and websites for these companies and brands are generally loaded with information.
If there’s next to no information about a brand, or they’re not talking about the leather’s source and treatment process, you probably shouldn’t trust it.
Beware of Too-Good-to-be-True Pricing
If a product seems far too affordable, it probably isn’t the genuine article. Don’t be lured in by affordable pricing and buy products that won’t last very long and may not even be real leather.
Final Thoughts
Genuine leather is a controversial and complex topic. However, if you take the time to ensure that you’re getting true genuine leather, these products are often worthwhile. Some genuine leather belts and wallets have been passed down for generations, thanks to good care.
Remember that practicing good leather care is key if you want your genuine leather products to last.
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