To avoid being misled when shopping for and selecting leather and to become aware of the material’s sourcing, an informative introduction to the complexity of leather is needed. This way, we can provide you as customers with an understanding of our products and hopefully protect you from making incorrect purchases in the future.
Cowhides
Depending on their intended use, relatively thick cowhides are split into various layers. a distinction is made between the upper main layer, also called the fiber layer, and the lower main layer, also known as the skin layer or corium. The arrangement of collagen fibers, structural proteins in the tissue of the layers, is crucial here and makes the difference. These fibers are particularly tightly, almost vertically, aligned in the upper layer, while they lie horizontally over each other in the lower part. It is important to know that the more vertically aligned the fibers are, the more stable the leather is.
Full-grain leather
Full-grain leather comes from the topmost layer of the hide and remains entirely untreated in its natural state. Only in this way can the individual characteristics such as insect bites, stretch marks, or cuts be preserved without artificial interference, allowing the leather to appear uniquely authentic. However, too many of these “imperfections” can quickly result in lower quality, which is why only the best hides are suitable for full-grain leather use. Additionally, due to its intact fibers, the leather guarantees the highest durability and breathability. Thus, it has rightfully earned its reputation as premium leather in every aspect and is predominantly used in our production.
Split leather
Split leather, obtained from the corium layer, is by far one of the most common types of leather and goes by many forms and names. Since the fiber layer was previously split from the skin layer, the leather also gets its most well-known name mentioned above. Due to the malleability of the leather, it can undergo various processing methods to exhibit a variety of surface appearances. Depending on the processing method, these are reflected in other names for the leather, such as corrected split leather, bycast leather, processed split leather, or PU leather.