There is something really special about wearing good Leather or a leather bomber jacket. Yet, many Consumers know very little about the quality of the Leather Products they purchase today.   

It is the Grain and the Tanning Process that determines the Quality and the Price of Leather. Leather Quality can range from Outstanding to very Poor. Reputable Manufactures will use a Top Grain Leather or Genuine Leather to make their products. However, today's Consumer needs a better understanding of the Leather Market and the Leather Products that are currently found in Stores. Whether searching for leather womens winter jackets or Leather Purses, jackets or purses, today's consumer will find many leather products are made from inferior materials and pawned off for a high sticker price. All too often, the well established general terms that have long been used within the Leather Trades to describe the certain cuts or Qualities for Leather are becoming more and more vague due to hijacked advertising or disingenuous promotions or labeling. Some American and European stores are selling extremely poor quality cut Leather Goods and promoting them to the public as: 'Top Grain' or 'Genuine Leather' or 'Luxurious Leather'.   

1. Do You know the difference between 'Top Grain' as opposed to 'Flank'?

2. What is 'Nappa' or 'Napa' Leather?  Is it good leather or poor leather?

3. What is the distinction of Real Suede to a jacket labeled 'Suede-like'?

4. What has Real Shearling to do with Napa-Finish Leather?

5. Is 'Lamb-Touch Leather' the same as Genuine Lambskin?

6. Is that Real Fur, from Fox, or Sheep, or is it really Rabbit, Dog, or Cat Fur?

So you can better understand what you are purchasing, Here are some General Terms to give you a better understanding of Leather Products, and some of the current trends in the industry:

Top Grain Leather - The Very Best Genuine Leather. The very Top Part of any Hide.  Very Durable and Desirable for Production, Selling & Purchasing.  Often referred to as Top Grain Leather or Genuine Leather when advertised.  Best High Quality & Long Lasting.  Can be pricey but lasts long and keeps its looks.  If you want the very best, especially Top Grain in 2.5 or 3.0 ounces, expect pricey values. 

First Cut Leather - The very Best Cut from any Top Grain Genuine Leather Hide.

Split Leather - Middle layer of a hide. Can be processed to appear like Top Grain, but not nearly as durable.  Lacks the Strength of Top Grain.  Stress Points can be a real problem.  A second tier garment can sometimes be pawned off as being Top Grain or Genuine Leather.  A lot of Split Leather garments are found in discount stores and sometimes the major chain stores deceptively label it to increase their profit margins.   What the buying public does not know, these stores will take advantage off. 

Buff Leather or Scraps - Bottom layer of any hide. Weak and Un-Desirable for Real Quality and Workmanship.  Poor Durability.  Found in a lot of High Fashion goods.  Who wears High Fashion more than a Year?

Flank Leather or Scraps - The belly of a hide or the flank (legs) of a Hide.  Much thinner part of the hide and much weaker.  Often found in massed produced cheap foreign leather goods.  Also found a lot in some nationally recognized Chain stores. Not a good choice product.  Products that grab the attention of the younger set are often made from very cheap materials.  Fads do not last long and teenage interests are always changing.  Yet, both Buff and Flank Leather is often promoted in the fashion world as high quality when it is the bottom of the barrel.

Lamb-Touch Leather - "Lamb-Touch" is only an Industry Term for a specific Tanning Process, not a form of Leather.  The Lamb-Touch Process is mostly utilized with Cowhide or Pig-Nappa Leather to give the article the appearance and a supple Lambskin-like feel to the touch.   Do not confuse buying Lamb-Touch Leather as apposed to something made from Real Genuine Lambskin.  The two are as different as apples and lobster.

Nappa-Finish Leather -.  Years ago, Nappa leather used to be a term that described a high quality leather, only today it is all too often used to mask the type of Leather used for the article.  The Term "Nappa" in today's modern leather Retail Market generally means 'unknown or unlisted leather'.   Pig Nappa, or the skin & Hide from a Pig can also come with a nappa finish.  "Finish" is a vague way of trying to explain a particular "feel" from the leather.  In short, "Napa-Finish" can mean almost anything in today's Retail market as it has been bastardized by copy writers for adds and commercials.     It can be applied to confuse the Customer and perhaps mislead them into thinking they are buying Real Supple Lambskin or some other Exotic Leather.   However, You do not want to be paying a Top Grain Price for a Nappa-Finished Pig-skinned Article.   Nappa-Finish Leather is often combined with substandard materials (such as low-quality wool) to appear pricey and significant, and it is often pawned off on the Consumer at excessive prices.  Nappa Finish can mean lower grade materials made to look more expensive than they really are.   Some low grade Nappa Finish Cowhide can appear quite supple and soft under the work of a master tanner, if they know what they are really doing.   In other words, it may look like lambskin, but it may not be lambskin.    Like everything, some consumers care and others do not.  Its all in the eye of the beholder.    In today market, 'Nappa-Finish' does imply 'Lip-sticking the Pig' to make it appear better than what it really is.    Nappa finished leather is mostly used for wallets, toiletry kits, car seats, furniture, and some leather belt products.  At one time, it was considered high quality, but the term is now suspect.    'Nappa soft leather' without any notice of what kind of leather means little to the consumer.   In short, the term has lost its luster of quality over the last 20 years or so.   What used to identify high quality now can mean any kind of leather from high grade to low grade.   A very untrustworthy term for today's leather buyer.

Is that Fur Trim on Your next Purchase really Fox, or Mink, or Sheep?  Or were you duped into paying big bucks for Dog Fur, or Cat Fur.   Many Imported Leather jackets cannot be trusted any longer, especially after what happened last year with the Chinese Suppliers and their U.S. Buyers.  Big Name and upscale U.S. and European Chain Stores were seriously duped into selling their customers illegally marketed Leather Products that were falsely labeled as having Fox Fur Trim, or Real Mouton (Sheep) Fur Trim.    Instead, many of these products were made and finished with the fur of Dogs and Cats from Asian Countries.   Other Leather Products sold to the U.S. Market contained masquerading Rabbit Fur, intentionally falsely labeled as Fox, or even Mink.   It is illegal to knowingly sale or market any fur products containing Dog or Cat Fur in the United States.

Vachetta Leather is often used as trimmings for wallets, luggage and handbags.    It is not strong and it is susceptible to sunlight and water damage.

Patent Leather is incased or coated with plastic.  Comes with a high gloss finish.  Some very cheap grade leather products can be highly shiny in appearance and look like Patent Leather even though it is not.

True Buckskin Leather - is made from animal brains and cooking to alter the leather.  It is supple and sometimes heavily 'smoked' to prevent rotting.   True Buckskin can be used for anything, hats, jackets, coats, and gloves just to name a few.

USA Domestic Tanning Processes vs. Foreign Tanning Processes:   There are not many Tanneries left in the USA, but the vast majority use modern equipment and chemicals in their tanning processes.  Hides can be fully tanned and ready for manufacturers in a manner of days. 

What many U.S. Consumers do not know about Foreign made Leather is that the Tanning Process in some countries use the 'old ways' with little modern equipment.   Some Foreign Tanneries still use outdoor soaking platforms 2 Centuries old, where their hides are soaked for weeks or months in good old 'URINE', both from animals and sometimes, humans.    You may want to think twice about wearing that cheap Discount Store Leather Jacket or Purse when there is any humidity, or rain, plus you will want to make sure you never work up a sweat.   That funny and foul smell emanating from your jacket may very well be that same 'URINE' from India, Malaysia, or where ever it came from.  Lets hope you smell it before your friends do.   More than one Distributor who sells leather goods has had to refuse a shipment at Port, because of the URINE smell coming from the leather products.  

What you want to watch out for is that one unscrupulous distributor who will air them out, allowing the product to dry, only to later pawn it off on unsuspecting customers.   Today, reliable U.S. Distributors demand and require of their Foreign Suppliers Leather goods processed without the use of URINE.  Pay a little more money for good leather and You should not have that problem when you buy American made jackets.  

All Consumers should BEWARE of Leather Products 'Labeled' as Made in USA with no MANUFACTURER'S BRAND advertised with the product, or visible Labeled Stitching within the product.   Unfortunately, there are foreign made leather products with FALSE 'Made in USA labels' attached to them.  For shoppers, Vender reliability and Vender 'Brand' are the most important factors in buying a good leather product.   It is not complicated at all:  Buy a cheaply made leather jacket for $50.00 or buy a high quality leather jacket for $250.00.  Which one do you really think is going to be the better jacket?

LEATHER TYPES & TRENDS IN TODAY'S MARKET

LEATHER THICKNESS, WEIGHT, VALUE BY OUNCES:  Just what are You Buying Here?  Do You really know?  Well, lets say you just purchased a Leather Motorcycle Jacket and You were told it was 1oz. Leather.  Chances are it is a Non-USA Made Jacket or Foreign Made Product.   Most Foreign Made Leather Apparel (jackets & coats) are 1oz. Leather.  There are a few samples of Foreign Made Leather Apparel sold by a few of the higher value Chain Stores that do reach a 2oz. Standard.   USA Leather Manufactures of Bomber Jackets make and use the 2.5 oz. to 3.o oz U.S. Military Standard in their Leather Bomber Jackets and most other leather apparel.  Even 4.0 oz. jacket coats can be found on the today's market, but that is quite heavy leather.

So, what is this 'Ounce Difference' and 'How do they measure for Weight & Value'?  By taking a 12" x 12" Sample Cut from the finished Hide and Weighing it and comparing that weight to the thickness.  Then they can establish a Hide's factory tanning weight and Market Value.  Naturally, that 12" x 12" Cut Hide that weighs 3 oz.'s has much more value and will demand a higher price than a 1 oz. Cut Hide of the same type of leather.  The 2.5 -3.0 oz. or 4 oz. Leather will be much thicker and durable.  However, the 2.5 oz. to 3.0 oz. Leather can still be quite supple and soft to the touch, 4.0 oz. is almost like shoe leather.  In fact, some of today's tennis or basketball shoes are 4.0 oz. or thicker.  Coat Jackets and Apparel made from 4.0 ounce leather will certainly need some extra attention to soften it for daily wear. 

One Note:  a 2.5 oz. or 3.0 oz Leather Jacket can still be soften quite nicely for wear and is considered the optimum leather weight for a Flight Jacket, however, 4 oz. Leather does exist.   A 4.0 oz. Leather Jacket is much heavier and has been described more than once as 'leather armor' or 'shoe leather'.  This weight may take a few years to soften up for a real comfortable feel.  Once again, it depends on the process, make, and the desired result of the Manufacturer and Customer.

GOATSKIN:  A great supple leather with a proven track record for both durability and its long lasting attributes.  For the U.S. Military, Top Grain or Genuine Goatskin has proven to be a great replacement for the expensive Horsehide and Sealskin used before and during the very early years of World War II.  Goatskin entered the serious mass production during the war era and surprised everyone as a great all purpose leather replacement.   The supply of Horsehide and Sealskin became short and was soon discontinued by the U.S. War Department when World War Two broke out.  There was just not enough Horses or Seals to meet the demands of the war.    Appeals for Goatskin grew and it has remained prominent ever since.   Domestic Goatskin from the U.S. is in extremely short supply and in high demand.   Unfortunately, U.S. Domestic Goatskin hides are generally much lower in quality than some Imported Goatskin Hides.  It tends to be thinner, more brittle, and less durable due to diet and the quantity of processed hides available.   There are just not enough Goats in the U.S. to supply the demands of the marketplace.   In the United States, we raise more Beef and Bacon than we raise Goats.

HORSEHIDE:  A wonderful and very durable leather.  Many Veterans from World War II still fondly remember their issued Horsehide A2's.  However, Top Grain or Genuine Horsehide today is very rare, and many Tanneries are discontinuing the processing of Horsehide.  What is out there today is Expensive and very hard to get.  Why?  Blame the mechanization of the world.  Even in many foreign countries, the automobile has supplanted animals as transportation.  There are just way less horses world wide, let alone enough available horsehides for a tannery to make a living on.  It may even be, that someday soon in the future, Top Grain or Genuine Horsehide may disappear from the leather market, except for a few high end accessories.  In addition, Consumer Demand for Horsehide has dropped considerably over the years.  Only Purists or Consumers than demand such high quality are willing to go with the Pricey Horsehide materials.

COWHIDE:  A good decent tough general all-purpose, all-use Leather, long a Consumer Market Staple.   Top Grain or Genuine Cowhide has been around for years and many products are made from Cowhide.   Though many different types of leather have been used in the past for American Pilots, the modern U.S. Defense Department today is now ordering flight jackets made of American Cowhide.  Top Grain or Genuine Cowhide can be processed into a very supple feel to the touch and with modern methods, even rival lambskin in its suppleness.  Purses, belts, jackets, and even your Great Grandpa used it for simple Tack.  It can be made into a supple leather, or used as a tough strap.  Some Foreign Manufacturers use 'Split Cowhide' or 'Buff Cowhide', or the weaker layers of a hide to make products.  Beware of items made from Flank Leather, or Scraps, as they are weaker in strength and are of poor quality.  Recognized Brand Name Products in the Leather Industry should be your target.  Always buy Top Grain or Genuine Leather Products.  Unfortunately, some Split Leather products are sometimes labeled as being 'Genuine Leather'.  Genuine Leather and Top Grain Leather should mean the same Quality.

LAMBSKIN:  A wonderful supple leather.  However, it can be easily damaged if not cared for properly.  Superb examples can demand a high price tag, even from some foreign manufacturers.   Two of the best current market examples are USA Lambskin and New Zealand Lambskin.   Because of its supple nature, it is considered 'Luxury Leather'.  Women Consumers seem to drive the Lambskin Market more than Male Consumers.  Top Grain or Genuine Lambskin will still be around, especially if you are willing to pay the price, but some Lambskin Products may have imminent issues soon due to the foreign-fixation of the today's leather Markets.  Believe it or not, the current Lambskin Market is falling prey to the wide spread use of Pig Napa Leather.

End of Part 1 "All About Leather Jackets"  Please Read Part 2 Here