Introduction

Image result for native wearing buckskin

Throughout history, leather has and continues to be utilized for all types of items like bags, clothing, shoes, accessories, tools, and more. What is it about leather that makes it so desirable and frequently used? Archaeologists studying the historical trends of leather have come across its use case in every type of ancient civilization.

One reason for such prevalence of leather use is that it's a natural byproduct of meat consumption and in its versatility of use. Leather can be soft and supple, firm and inflexible, or hard and impermeable to the elements depending on how it’s made and used.

The labor-intensive process of turning animal hides into pliable leather (tanning) remained pretty much unchanged into the 1800s. With the rise of the industrial revolution patent leather, known for its glossy, varnished surface, was invented in Germany in 1819, and chromium tanning, a more efficient but also more toxic tanning method was invented in the 1850s.

Image result for pleather

A variety of synthetic leather products were developed at the turn of the 20th century and came into prominent use around World War II and after when it was marketed by DuPont 'as a sustainable alternative' to genuine leather.

Innovation in this sector has led to many alternative leather-like materials including the use of pineapple and mushroom mycelium.

Leather, in all its forms, is a highly desirable material and is frequently used to manufacture apparel and accessories.

Production

Leather ‘production’ or tanning takes place around the world. Traditionally vegetable tanning was the process used to treat the hides, but today chromium is the preferred method.

The tanning process is long and requires a lot of steps.

Leather Quality

Leather is graded and sold based on its quality, which largely depends on which part of the hide it’s cut from, the tanning methods used, and the type of hide that the leather is created from.

Hide layout.png

Leather quality is graded on the scale of A-F, based on which layers of the skin are used.

Skin Anatomy.png

Napa, Aniline, or Belting Leather - Full grain leather, the top grade quality of leather, is derived from higher sections of grain and corium.

Nubuck, Patent, and Embossed - Top grain leather considered the second-best grade of leather, is created from the junction of grain and corium.

Corrected Leather - The lowest grades of leather, called split leather and bonded leather, are often made from the corium of animal skin. This type of leather might still be called nubuck or patent leather, but has gone through a process of correction or alteration prior to use.