How to identify genuine leather?
A few years ago, on a holiday in the heat of Spain, I stumbled upon an air-conditioned leather jacket store. After I had dried off most of my sweat, I found myself in the specials corner, where jackets representing a wide range of styles and eras were hanging from end to end. The price tag of 50 euros above the item enticed me to browse the offerings, and soon I was strutting around in front of the mirror wearing a flamboyant leather jacket.
The size was a bit too big, but I figured the holiday week had brought a couple of pounds of indulgence and the heat would make me bloated, of course. As I pulled my stomach in a little, the zipper slipped shut and these are usually kept open, I reasoned to myself.
I didn't really think about the quality. Since it was a leather shop, I assumed the jacket was genuine. The satin lining had a beautiful leopard pattern and a stylish gold-embroidered tag at the neck.
However, when I got home, I began to doubt the authenticity of the jacket. I sniffed it and almost tasted it. I felt it, stretched it, and felted it. Even the patches sewn into the side seam didn't help. To this day, I don't know if the jacket was a hit or a miss.
How to identify genuine leather?
Here at Utua it's easy. As soon as you walk through the door of our store, you'll notice the familiar smell of leather, which comes from the tanning and dyeing process. Faux leather doesn't have it, but it can smell like plastic or rubber. Faux leather's surface is also flawless and its porosity is even. Leather, as a natural product, is more vibrant in terms of surface pattern and pores.
The differences between real leather and faux leather become clear in use. Real leather only improves and becomes more beautiful with wear, while faux leather frays and cracks. Real leather also gets wet. It darkens when wet and returns to its original color when dry. Faux leather, on the other hand, repels water.
It is worth checking the material labels carefully. The symbol for leather is a pulley-shaped symbol, not a slat pattern. If it says “synthetic”, “polyurhethane” or “man made”, it is not a genuine product. Our bags always have an info tag hanging on them, which clearly indicates the authenticity of the leather.
You can find genuine leather care instructions here.
Utua belts have clear markings to indicate the authenticity of the leather. They are sturdy and of high quality.
How to proceed from here?
You can use faux leather products, of course, but they are not long-term partners. And the era of fast fashion is over. Fortunately, people have woken up, or at least are waking up, to responsibility.
I feel bad about the impulse purchase I made in the holiday mood. Although the model was nice, I would have liked it more if I had known it was leather. And by spending a little more money, I would have definitely gotten a genuine product. But on the other hand, this blog post would have been considerably shorter...
Best regards, Reissu-Merja
The author doesn't blame sangria or heat for the lack of sourcing. Just his own stupidity.
