Leather

Leather is not one material, it is a family of materials. A 0.6 mm plonge lambskin and a 1.4 mm full-grain calf have nothing in common in hand, drape or price. This section puts precise vocabulary back on what product pages generally call “genuine leather”.

We cover where hides come from, how they are tanned, how they are finished, what thickness means, and the concrete checks that let you judge a garment in hand, in store or online.

What you will find here

• Hides: lambskin, calf, goat, cowhide, exotics, and what each brings to a garment.
• Tanning: vegetable, chrome, mixed, and why the debate is not only environmental.
• Finishes: plonge, nappa, nubuck, suede, patent, grained, and how they change the drape.
• Vocabulary: full grain, split, corrected grain, the words that separate a fine piece from an entry-level product.