The words ‘genuine leather’ is used for various products. The most important thing you need to know is how much of the product is leather, even though it says it is leather. Generally, there are three different types of leather
- Full Grain Leather
- Bonded Leather
- Genuine Leather or Leather Lining
- Synthetic Leather or ‘Pleather’
Full Grain Leather
This is 100% leather taken from the hide. It’s the most premium leather used. It can then be split into thinner sheets, depending upon the use. This is incredibly durable with a long useful life. To give you an example, a full grain leather wallet I have once owned lasted over 10 years.
Bonded Leather
Bonded leather is likened to particle or chipboard. Bonded leather is where the leather has been ground up into particles (emulsified) and then pressed together using an adhesive (known as reconstitution). It is commonly the outcome of left over pieces of leather that cannot be used in their current shape or size being ground up and reconstituted to make bigger pieces.
Genuine Leather or Leather Lining
This is where the leather is incredibly thin, either as a full grain that has been split or bonded leather. It is so thin that by itself it is not very strong. So another material is used to strengthen it. For leather apparrel, this is mostly commonly cardboard, as it is thin, light and relatively strong. It could also be a plastic. Essentially, the leather is an outer ‘lining’. While it is light, it is a low quality form of leather with a low useful life span compared to a full grain or bonded leather. Using my wallet as a comparison from the full grain example, a leather lined wallet I owned only lasted just over 12 months.
Synthetic Leather or ‘Pleather’
This is not real leather, this is a synthetic or plastic (Plastic + Leather = Pleather!). This will usually have a very high gloss or shine. It is subject to cracking and deterioration over time.