Are you thinking about buying a new leather jacket? Today’s clothing retail market is full of so-called leatherette or faux leather items. But, are they actually made from leather? On this page, we are going to take a look at the pros and cons of buying a faux leather jacket and a real leather jacket.
Many consumers presume that real leather is more expensive. However, in the long run, buying a real leather item is often more cost-effective than buying a faux leather jacket. Check real leather jackets from PalaLeather where provide high quality leather jackets with affordable price. Let’s dive a little bit deeper into pros and cons of faux and real leather.
Faux Leather vs Real Leather
The main pro of faux leather is that it is cheaper to buy. As it is a synthetically produced material, it can be manufactured quickly and in vast quantities.
Leather on the other hand has to be “grown.” Real leather is a live material that takes longer to bring to market. For instance, before you start working with leather hides, they have to be treated. This is rather an extensive process. Depending on the type of leather, it can take up to 14 days to treat leather that is going to be turned into clothing.
Once faux leather has been manufactured, it is ready for use more or less straight away. It can be turned into jackets or other clothing and apparel items.
Working In Real Leather vs Faux Leather
When you work in leather, you need to have specialist skills. As real leather is a much more durable material it is more challenging to turn into clothing. You need a specialist sewing machine when you work in real leather.
Faux leather behaves much more like a fabric material when you work with it. One of the downsides is that it can tear much easier. But as vast quantities are produced, you can afford to discard materials that have become damaged or torn.
The Environmental Impact of Faux Leather vs Real Leather
You would have thought that buying a faux leather jacket would have less of an environmental impact. But, that is not right. The manufacturing process of faux leather contributes to pollution much more when compared to the manufacturing process of real leather.
The chemicals used in faux leather manufacturing are harsh. Remember that the material needs to be treated and made to look like leather. The treatment process is extensive. Once completed, the chemicals used are often discharged into the local water.
Real leather is treated by natural methods. The process is mainly made up out of naturally occurring compounds which are often used time and time again. Even if a dye is added to the water, the mix is often used again to dye other leather items the same color.
The Finished Product
Real leather is always more expensive. First of all you need to wait for the material to be produced. Once that process is finished, you have to have specialist skills to turn the leather into clothing or other products such as shoes and bags
You also need to have the right equipment to shape the leather. When you have finished producing leather, you also need to store it to make sure it is preserved in the right way.
Faux leather behaves much more like a fabric material. As a matter of fact, it is a synthetic fabric material that has been treated to make it look like leather and give it that leather feel.
Faux Leather vs Real Leather In Conclusion
Yes, a real leather jacket is more expensive to buy. However, the pro is that it is going to last longer. A faux leather jacket will probably last two years if you are lucky while a real leather jacket could last you a lifetime when you look after it.
Once you have finished wearing your faux leather jacket, it is likely to end up in landfill where it will take a long time to break down.
Real leather when discarded starts to break down much faster and will go back to nature. If you like, you can say that buying a real leather jacket is much more of a guilt-free purchase than buying a faux leather jacket. Not only are making a much more environmental friendly purchase, but you are also buy a jacket that is going to last longer.
Does a real leather jacket look better? Yes, it does and it also much more comfortable to wear than a faux leather jacket.
Photo by Konstantin Evdokimov on Unsplash
Author: Mandy Kloppers
Mandy is a qualified therapist who treats depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, trauma, and many other types of mental health issues. She provides online therapy around the world for those needing support and also provides relationship counselling.
