How To Spot Fake Leather
Fake Leather vs Real Leather
The biggest difference between the two is that real leather is truly unique, as no two hides are the same. Cattle leather often features hallmarks of its origin, like stretch marks, scars, and veins and this adds to the character and beauty of the product. Genuine leather also features inconsistent pores and marks, which means it’s beautifully differentiated from the rest and has a distinctive look. Faux leather is very uniform – even if it is created to look natural, as the pores are synthetically created.
There are several ways to spot leather mimic, where split or bonded leather is embossed to look like more durable grain leather. If the leather in question has a very uniform or monotonous pattern, it may be evidence of embossing. Artificial leather also doesn’t have a pullup effect, which is a slight color variation when grain leather is bent or folded. Painted or polyurethane layers are nonporous and thus do not effectively absorb leather conditioners.
Determining Fake Leather vs Real Leather
Again, a word of warning to consumers, Many of these terms are not used consistently, you can get confused easily. The most common mistake I’ve run into is the use of the term “genuine leather”. Genuine leather is most frequently used to describe split leather, but to be honest, it’s a dumb word, because many people (including myself) have made them very easy mistake of assuming the word “genuine” means the opposite of “fake”. So I’ve seen lots of leather shops use the term “genuine” in their product descriptions, in an attempt to convey the fact that they are not using faux leather. But that term just ends up scaring people off, even if they have a solid product made with decent leather.
Go out there with your newfound knowledge, but be aware that sneaky marketing terms, old-fashioned lingo, and honest mix-ups can make things difficult. So don’t be afraid to ask questions!
Major Sneaks
- Real leather shouldn’t feel like plastic. It can feel rough or smooth, or anywhere in between.
- Real Leather doesn’t catch fire easily.
- The leather feels like skin when you press it.
- Real leather absorbs water. This doesn’t mean you cry in the rain so no one can see your tears. :p Try to keep it safe from water but if you happen to let it rain on your leather product, expect it to absorb water. Fake leather won’t be able to do that. Thus, if the water drips off, it’s fake and if it is relatively absorbed, it is real!
- Real leather doesn’t crack easily.
- Real leather should wrinkle when you press on it.
Do you currently own a leather jacket? If yes, then you should bring that bad boy out and try to press on the leather. Don’t worry, nothing harmful will happen to your beloved leather jacket. It will only wrinkle. Real leather has the quality to look wrinkled and “pulled” when you press on it. Fake leather won’t get affected if you push on it. It is noticeably less flexible. If you press on a fake leather jacket, the texture will hardly be affected by the pressure. At the end of the day, everything goes back to the fact that real leather is a natural material and has the qualities of something natural. It feels like skin, wrinkles like it, and will last you a lifetime too.
Don’t set your leather jacket on fire but go ahead and press on the leather jacket to see if it wrinkles. Ready, set, go ahead, take the leap of faith!
You may now consider yourself a master of leather. You have ample knowledge to identify real leather from fake leather. Leather Jacket Shop produces real leather but if you don’t believe us, order a product now and use this guide to test our products! We promise to never disappoint you.