For many years of use, genuine leather has won the trust of consumers. In modern light industry, various leather substitutes are often used to reduce the total cost of a product and increase its availability to consumers. Among other materials, you can often find pressed leather, according to many sellers, almost as good as natural. Is this so, and is it worth giving preference to savings when choosing shoes, clothes and accessories?
What is pressed skin?
This type of material can be compared with sausages for clarity. A homogeneous web is formed from various substandard and very small residues, waste from the production of goods from whole genuine leather, and often the very same pressed under very high pressure.
The combination of components occurs through the use of synthetic binder fibers (polyester, polyethylene, polyamide, etc.). When exposed to high temperature, they melt, which ensures the bonding of small natural particles.
Synthetic thermoplastic resins are also involved in the production. Their function is to provide a more reliable bonding of the components and make the fabric structure more uniform, and the material itself is stronger.
However, these same qualities significantly reduce the moisture and breathability of pressed skin. And if lower moisture conductivity is preferable in some cases, then the lack of the ability to "breathe" can be clearly attributed to the disadvantages of the material when sewing clothes and shoes. In addition, the strength of products made from a material formed from many small components is low and significantly inferior to the natural counterpart.
Cons of extruded fabric products
Pressed leather is not suitable for the manufacture of all products. And this, if you do not take into account the increased "harmfulness" of its production, the use of chemical resins, synthetic components of the canvas and high temperatures is negative for everyone involved in the manufacturing process. Add to this the frequent non-observance of industrial safety rules and the lack of necessary environmental protection measures.
Bags, belts and other accessories, interior items made of pressed leather will be less durable, soft and elastic than natural ones, but given the difference in cost, you can put up with this, and even call the low price a significant advantage.
As for clothes, and especially shoes, low breathability and moisture-conducting ability can lead to excessive sweating, increased fatigue, diseases of the lower extremities and kidneys. In addition, such shoes, when actively worn, quickly lose their original shape, may crack or burst at the folds.
How to distinguish pressed skin from genuine
One of the easiest ways is to read the product description:
- in English, genuine leather will be called genuine leather,
- in Italian - vera pelle,
- French manufacturers will write cuir,
- Germans will designate it with the word echtleder.
It is useful to consider also special characters indicating which material the product is made of. Classical rhombus is labeled with materials of artificial origin, natural, conditionally resembling a stretched skin.
However, often there is no such label, or there is a chance to come across an unscrupulous manufacturer that provides incorrect information.
It should immediately be excluded from the completely reliable such long-known recognition methods as smell and the possibility of burning. After all, modern technologies make it possible to impregnate artificial analogues with a natural leather flavoring, moreover, many types of synthesized fabric are now not melted, but are carbonized like a natural material. Yes, and not every seller will allow the buyer to check the quality of the goods offered with the help of fire.
Inspection Check
The source of the bulk of information from outside for the vast majority of people is sight. On examination, the difference between pressed skin and genuine skin can be identified in the following ways:
- To bend the product - if it is shoes, it is better in the toe area. Or, press the skin quite firmly with your fingers - if it is natural, then the small folds and wrinkles that appear during this process should disappear without a trace as soon as the product straightens.
- Also, when changing the shape of the material, you should pay attention to its color in this place - in genuine leather, it changes. True, this method of verification is not suitable for one of the most popular colors - black.
- Seam finish. Manufacturers of products made from natural materials not only do not try to hide what the goods are made of, but on the contrary, emphasize this advantage in every way. Therefore, sections of the seams of products made of genuine leather, unlike pressed leather, are usually left open - not processed and not bent.
- The wrong side of genuine leather will be fleecy, suede. Faux leather is often smooth, in most cases has a textile basis. However, it can simply be glued to suede or imitation.
- Pores on the front surface of natural leather, unlike pressed skin, will be located in one direction, will look similar and organic, but not identical, without repeated repetition of the pattern. In order to avoid baseless suspicions of fraud, one should not forget that genuine leather is heterogeneous in its natural color. Therefore, in some cases, sections of various tones and shades may be present on it. When identifying the origin of a material, attention should be paid specifically to its structure.
Moisture test
Not every seller will allow you to wet the goods you have not purchased, but to have a similar method of figuring out how to distinguish pressed leather from genuine leather, you should still.
If moisture gets on natural skin that has not been treated with special water-repellent compounds, the material will absorb drops and darken in most cases (depending on the color of the product). A pressed analogue will do neither one nor the other.
Tactile sensations
One of the main distinguishing features of genuine leather is its ability to take heat. If you hold it in your hands for a while, it will heat up from the temperature of the human body.
There is also the concept of "fullness" of the material - softness and elasticity, the difference in response to pressing and touching will be tangible and very obvious.
Sense of smell
As mentioned earlier, this method is not certain, especially if you focus on natural aroma. However, often the synthesized fabric has a pronounced chemical smell, sharp and unpleasant. According to this characteristic, it is not difficult to distinguish pressed skin from genuine leather. No matter how long the products that originally had such a smell are ventilated, a slight trace of it will still remain, and you can notice it by bringing the product directly to the nose.
Pressed outerwear
The benefits of genuine leather shoes are obvious, but what about outerwear?
Cloaks, skirts, trousers and pressed leather jackets often look very attractive and dignified. The decision on their purchase and use is best made on the basis of factors such as the amount available for the purchase of the product; how in the future the purchased item will be used; features of a specific human body.
If leather clothes are intended for active constant wear and there is a desire to use the thing for a long time, then in case of limited finances, it may make sense to accumulate funds for a genuine leather product. You can take a closer look at the assortment of natural materials of not the highest class - a slightly rougher dressing or from less expensive raw materials (skins of different animals can have a huge difference in cost).
However, if the item is trendy, designed for one season, or this outfit is rarely needed in the wardrobe - perhaps it is needed exclusively for a beautiful photo - pressed skin will achieve the goal at an affordable price without having any negative effect on the body.