Leather quality - who's best?

[messenoire]

who else uses the same leather that julius uses for their cow skin boots?

[ErnstLudwig]

to answer the question above Edward Green makes 3-4 pair/skin.

source?

Nevertheless I would always prefer EG > Lobb RTW because of Lobb’s shitty stand/heel construction, it’s Crockett and Jones main line all over the place for a ridiculous retail price. Overall Lobb RTW reaches a price tag where bespoke is not so far away and perfect fit is way more important for the durability then minor quality differences of the upper leather.

Overall big fashion companies suck quality wise (Gucci, LV[bespoke services excluded]…) no wonder if you spend 20% of your budget on ads in vogue (and therefore overcharge the customer and save at the product quality).

Hermes and Valextra are great, but horribly overpriced. You can find smaller companies which come close or even surpass their quality without spending that much. Leather goods: Swaine Adeney Brigg, Launer, Ettinger; belts: Kreis.

[Umami]

who is the best designer in the world.

[Uncontrol]

kanye west

[Raw]

Random question - that hard, pebbly leather that companies like LV and Goyard use...what is that?

If you're talking about the wallets like Monogram or Damier, it's actually not leather, it's canvas.

[eleven crows]

it's me, i'm the best.

[Dane]

If you're talking about the wallets like Monogram or Damier, it's actually not leather, it's canvas.

They call it canvas, but it's actually leather. I was given a set of accessories as a gift once...all say 100% leather.

[uL7iMa]

Wow, so much drama, I think anything that has "best" in it's title always attracts this sort of things..

Anyhow, I'm quite interested in this topic, and hope that we can continue the discussion on leather quality.

What sort of qualities goes into a good leather? What becomes a top pick for companies such as Hermes and Valextra?

[ErnstLudwig]

What sort of qualities goes into a good leather? What becomes a top pick for companies such as Hermes and Valextra?

Well depends it depends on the usage, but when it comes to shoes and luggage I say full grain products (epidermis intact) are the best, because of better durability and water resistance.

What to do you do? Simply pick perfectly looking hides!
Leather is a natural product and it can have different width, cows can have scars… as well as errors/irregularities can occur during the tanning process.

"Cheap" option: use split leather (get rid of scars and make the leather look nicely even), roll it and put a layer of covering plastic on it to give it a nice shine. So generally speaking if you see the grains = good (but it’s also possible to do some kind of fake embossment).

[Castor]

They call it canvas, but it's actually leather. I was given a set of accessories as a gift once...all say 100% leather.

It is most definitely NOT leather. It is coated canvas. These products are often trimmed and lined with leather.

[Mail-Moth]

What to do you do? Simply pick perfectly looking hides!
Leather is a natural product and it can have different width, cows can have scars… as well as errors/irregularities can occur during the tanning process.

And for one immaculate skin you have lots of more or less flawed ones. I was wondering what would happen if some tanners/designers had this strange idea of achieving some sort of decaying/raw/turn of the XXth century proletarian aesthetics out of those imperfect, and thus much cheaper, leftovers and rejects.
Or what if they used the skins of abattoir beasts which are generally disregarded by most of the leather professionals - I mean horse, pig, cow ?


Now wait.

[ErnstLudwig]

well you mentioned the point "slaughterer", the normal hides are by-product (waste) of the food industry. So I would guess they simply pay a fixed price per picked hide. But I like the idea of using imperfect hides even pre-tanning (no more need for fake vintageing afterwards).

But the designer/company would have to find a small tannery that actually converts them. With big I think the prob is they only care about their main customer that ensures business survival (see Hermes, or Horween: Alden, Allen Edmonds).

But hey a lot of other leather exists out there (partly even not food derived) bull, alligator, snake, ostrich, elk (very nice jackets), stingray, shark. And from time to time if the right zoo animal dies of old age you can even make elephant shoes.

[Dane]

It is most definitely NOT leather. It is coated canvas. These products are often trimmed and lined with leather.

Interesting...I had no idea.

[franz]

Interesting...I had no idea.

Be reassured, most people do not know even people I know/meet who long for working in the "luxury" sector; that's how LV keeps selling its signature logo canvas at those prohibitive prices.

[Dane]

Be reassured, most people do not know even people I know/meet who long for working in the "luxury" sector; that's how LV keeps selling its signature logo canvas at those prohibitive prices.

Pretty sure the sales associates tell you it's leather too.