How to Save Money When Buying Artificial Leather For Shoes

In a world increasingly concerned with environmental issues, the over $414 billion leather goods industry is seeking more environmentally friendly alternatives. People have had a love affair with leather for centuries and products manufactured with leather have always been associated with the luxurious lifestyle of the rich.

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Imitation leather also called faux leather has only been around since the 19th century, yet has only recently threatened to take over a significant share of the leather goods market. Alternatives to animal hide leather are many and the idea that 100% genuine leather is the best possible material for traditionally leather products like shoes, handbags, belts, furniture, etc. is seriously challenged in the 21st century.

What exactly is faux leather, how is it manufactured, and how does it hold up when compared to animal hides? Keep reading to learn more as we dive deep into the world of faux leather.

• What Is Faux Leather?
• Why Do People Love Leather?
• Where was the first backpack invented and how it evolved in time?
• The History of Backpacks
• Fashion Style and Status Symbol
• The Case for Leather Alternatives
• Alternatives are Often Cheaper
• Stand Against Animal Cruelty
• Better for the Planet
• Imitation Exotic Leathers
• What Is Bonded Leather?
• The Pros and Cons
• What Is Vegan Leather?
• Piñatex Pineapple Leather
• A Brief History
• How Is Piñatex® Produced?
• Not Perfect But Close
• Jacron paper leather
• Properties of Jacron
• How is Jacron Made?
• Mushroom Leather
• Mushroom Leather's Amazing Characteristics
• How is Mushroom Leather Grown?
• Cactus Leather
• How is Cactus Leather Made?
• Honourable Mentions
• What Is PVC Leather and PU Leather?
• PVC Leather and Vinyl
• The Substantial Disadvantages of PVC Leather
• Introduction of PU Leather
• Ultrasuede® to Ease Your Mind a Bit
• How to Identify Vegan Leathers?
• Wrapping Up: Either Way Leather Is Here to Stay

What Is Faux Leather?

Artificial leather goes by many names and made from a wide range of materials. Faux leather is a type of artificial leather made from synthetic materials such as thermoplastic polymers and petroleum-based materials. Some other common names and types of faux leather include:

• Synthetic leather
• PU leather
• Leatherette
• Pleather
• Suede
• Vinyl

Faux leather is a substitute for genuine leather (made from animal skin) in the manufacturing of upholstery, clothing, footwear, handbags, and more products where a leather-like look and feel is desirable. Faux leather is one type of vegan leather but not all vegan leathers are faux leathers.

We will be taking a close look at many various types of faux and vegan leathers in this ultimate guide. But first, why do people like leather products so much? Are there real-world reasons for buying leather goods beyond the fact they are fashionable?

Why Do People Love Leather?

The history of leather is teeming with interesting facts and reasons why people are drawn to it. When considering leather alternatives, it is pertinent to first understand why real leather (wether it is genuine leather, top grain leather or full grain leather) is so popular. The physical properties of animal hide provide many advantages over other materials ranging from durability to aesthetic appeal.

Let's take a brief look at these advantages to understand better the considerable challenge of replacing genuine leather with faux leather.

Warm Clothing and Shelter

The love affair with leather dates back to ancient times but, back then, it had little to do with fashion and more to do with survival. Wearing the hides and furs of animals are well known to be highly effective in keeping the body warm. The fact that the skin is natures highly effective approach to insulting the body, makes the first case that it would work well as an extra layer of protection from the elements.

Whether you're climbing the tallest peaks or enjoying a sandy beach, proper shelter is a basic need of life. Tents, one of the earliest known forms of shelter, utilize animal leather. Wrapping the frame of a tent with animal hides provides protection from the cold, wind, rain, and snow and can provide more than amble protection and comfort.

The first tents were constructed from the massive bones and hides of the woolly mammoths during the last ice age. The Native Americans used buffalo hides to wrap tepees as temporary shelters in support of their nomadic lifestyles for hundreds of years.

Incidentally, thousands of the American buffalo (Bison) were shot and skinned and their bodies left to rote in the sun during the s in North America. This practice enraged the Great Plains Native American Tribes that survived by hunting the animal but would never waste any part of the sacred kill.

Although most of us are unlikely to use leather to build our home, to replace leather for warm and durable clothing, imitation leather must also be as good or a better insulator than genuine leather.

Strength Durability and Longevity

Mother nature built animal skins to be tough and long-lasting. A well-sewn pair of leather shoes or boots can easily last a lifetime if properly treated. If you don't believe it, ask the cobbler (shoe repair tradesman), if you can find one. Taking leather shoes and boots to the cobbler was common practice not long ago because the leather of the shoes would always outlast the stitching and need repairing.

The tanning and producing leather for clothing is an ancient art that is well documented in archaeology. Thousands of tombs with skeletons wearing leather garments, some 3,000 years old, excavated in China is a strong testimonial to just how long leather can last.

Clothing is not the only product that leather is used because of its durability. Leather is used for anything that has to withstand the abuse of daily use. Some common examples are:

• Furniture and automobile seats
• Bags and backpacks
• Book and notebook bindings
• Sports balls and equipment

If you are a backpacker or camper you realize how important it is to know what to take with you on your trip. A strong and durable backpack is a must to carry everything you need to survive in style on the trail.

Although most tanned leathers are strong and last a long time, some are more durable than others. Buffalo and horse leathers are well known for their strength. Perhaps the strongest leather is Kangaroo which is famous for soccer footwear and boxing speed bags.

In order to replace these leathers, synthetic leather materials must be as strong and durable as genuine leather yet flexible. This poses a significant challenge for leather alternatives, but as we will get to later, some alternatives are just as strong or stronger than genuine leather.

Fashion Style and Status Symbol

There is no doubt that leather has long been associated with the well to do. When one takes a look at the offerings from popular fashion houses known for their elite customer base and high price tags, you are sure to find leather. Some of the most well-known luxury leather brands are:

• PRADA
• Gucci
• Versace
• Burberry
• Dunhill

Those that seek leather as a status symbol are willing to spend thousands if not tens of thousands on leather handbags, jackets, and boots with designer labels. To get an idea of how much fashion can cost, take a look at the 10 most expensive handbags in . With only a few exceptions, most of these ridiculously priced handbags are made with exotic leathers and jewels of course.

The good news for leather alternatives is that 100% genuine leather is not held in the same regard as it used to be. With an increased awareness of the environmental effects and cruelty of animals associated with animal-based products, more and more people are frowning on genuine leather. Even leather brand fashion houses are jumping on the bandwagon and offering more leather alternatives, although you will still pay a pretty penny for the label.

The Case for Leather Alternatives

It seems that humanity is unwilling to give up leather anytime soon. If any material dares to challenge the supremacy that leather has as a material for high-quality luxury goods, that material is going to have its work cut out for it. It will have to be everything leather is and more. Next, we look at some of the reasons why a substitute to leather may be best.

Alternatives are Often Cheaper

As anyone that has ever gone shopping for a leather jacket knows, genuine leather goods are very expensive. For those consumers demanding quality and chic looking leather goods, buying products made with faux leather will likely save them considerable money.

It may be true that many consumers are willing to pay a premium for leather goods, but manufactures know that the market for a similar product at a much lower price is much much bigger. This fact alone, fuels a race to find a leather alternative that performs as well as the real thing.

Stand Against Animal Cruelty

According to PETA, over a billion animals are killed around the world every year to provide the leather goods industry with a fresh supply of tanned hides. Activists say that the horrors of "factory farming" animals for food and hides is inhumane and has to stop. In this view, buying genuine leather products directly supports the cruelty of animals. However some brands as EIKEN, use leather materials that are meat industry by-products, avoiding "extra" killing and making the most of the animal products, that would otherwise go to waste.

Animals are often subjected to extreme crowding and confinement in unhealthy, dirty, and often diseased environments. They are sometimes overfed, underfeed, and even beaten to "tenderize" the meat. In some cases, young animals are boiled or even skinned alive as it is believed the leather will be of the highest quality. This is why it is very important to carefully chose premium leather over cheap ones.

Better for the Planet

The environmental hazards of leather are well documented. The process of turning animal skins into leather requires treating the hides with dangerous chemicals. Chemicals used in the production of leather include:

• Mineral salts
• Formaldehyde
• Coal-tar derivatives
• Oils
• Dyes

Some dyes used to change the finished look of leather products are cyanide-based, one of the most poisonous substances known to man. Leather production in the U.S. is chrome-tanned and the waste contains chromium which is a hazardous material.

What's more, tanning effluent used to treat the leather and keep it from rotting away like skin tends to do, is laced with pollutants. The common tannery chemical arsenic is a proven carcinogenic and studies have shown that workers in tanneries are up to 50% more likely to develop cancer.

If you think leather products are "environmentally friendly" and "all-natural" you may want to think again. The environmental impact of the leather industry is huge and is one of the greatest arguments for switching to leather alternatives. After all, you want to keep your must-have belongings safe in a style you can be proud of, don't you? If you want to stay with real leather, you might want to opt for vegetable tanned leather which use natural elements to transform the skin.

Imitation Exotic Leathers

The majority of leather produced and sold in The United States and the European Union comes from the multibillion-dollar beef industry where cow and calf hides are sold as part of the business of using these animals for their meat and byproducts. Other common animal hides used to produce leathers are sheep, lambs, goats, and pigs.

Some would say that because these animals are slaughtered for food anyway, turning their hides into useful products is only avoiding being wasteful. However, there are many species of animals that are hunted and killed in the wild specifically to harvest their hides for leather production. This is not sustainable anymore and we can't support such practices.

Many of these animals are protected by conservation laws, but that doesn't stop poachers from cashing in to the tune of $7-21 billion annually on the demand for exotic leathers made from the skins of:

• Zebras
• Bison
• Kangaroos
• Elephants
• Crocodiles
• Alligators
• Ostriches
• Lizards
• Snakes
• Lions
• Tigers

There are leather alternatives that use various dyes and manufacturing techniques such as embossing to imitate any and all exotic leathers. Thanks to science and human ingenuity, there is no longer a need to kill off any more creatures in the name of fashion. Not to mention you won't be needing a separate leather backpack to carry your cash when you go shopping.

What Is Bonded Leather?

Bonded leather, also known as LeatherSoft or composite leather, is a manufactured leather that contains, normally, 10-20% genuine leather. Scaps of genuine leather is mixed with polyurethane binding agent. The resulting material is rolled flat onto a paper backing using adhesives.

If you are purist seeking to eliminate animal hide in the products you buy, bonded leather may not be for you. Others would argue that bonded leather is a legitimate leather alternative as the animal hide used in bonded leather is often recycled from discarded leather from the manufacturing of genuine leather goods. Although this is true in many cases, some bonded leather is manufactured using raw hides, not recycled leather goods or production waste.

The Pros and Cons

The biggest advantage of bonded leather over genuine leather is cost - it is much cheaper than genuine leather. Bonded leather is also smooth with a consistent texture, unlike genuine leather, which is marked with imperfections. It is available in a variety of colours/patterns and even smells more like real leather than other faux leather.

Generally speaking, bonded leather is not as durable as real leather and its lifespan is much shorter. Bonded leather wears away over time, flakes, cracks, peels, and the colour fades in the sunlight. Yet, if properly taken care of, bonded leather can last for years even decades before degrading. However, if you are looking for a long-lasting alternative to genuine leather, bonded leather is not the best choice.

Because of these shortcomings, bonded leather is not likely to replace high-quality leather products anytime soon. As material science progresses this may not always be the case. In fact, a relatively new addition to the bonded leather market, Dyneema Bonded Leather, manufactured with a tear-resistant fabric produces a bonded leather they claim is 15x stronger than steel.

What Is Vegan Leather?

In short, vegan leather is any material created with the purpose of imitating the look and feel of real leather. Authentic vegan leather is not made from any part of an animal.

The term vegan leather may be a bit misleading as it suggests that the material is "all-natural" but in reality, vegan leather is just another term for animal-free leather alternatives. Although there are some vegan leathers made from natural sources, as we are about to discuss, the most commonly used material to make vegan leather are plastic-based which falls under the term "faux leather". As we will cover later, faux leather is far from all-natural.

Incidentally, this is why many people refer to faux leather as pleather, a word made from plastic and leather. For those of you that are reading this article in hopes you will find an all-natural and animal-free alternative to leather it is time to pay close attention. Next, we take a look at the revolutionary materials the promise to make fashion more sustainable.

Piñatex Pineapple Leather

This material is truly exciting, as it is an artificial leather that seems to tick every box. It is a natural leather alternative made from the cellulose fibres extracted from pineapple leaves. Piñatex leather is breathable and flexible making it an ideal material for manufacturing products such as handbags, wallets, seat covers, shoes, and watch bands.

Piñatex leather comes in all the colours of the rainbow and a variety of textures. The synthetic leather has been revered by many for its softer and more pliable leather-like feel when compared to other leather alternatives.

A Brief History

Piñatex leather is the brainchild of Dr Carmen Hijosa. In the s, Dr Hijosa was consulting for the leather goods industry in the Philippines when she became concerned about the poor quality of leather goods produced on the islands. She observed that much like the rest of the world, the leather industry in the Philipines was environmentally unsustainable and bad for the health of the locals working with leather.

In a flash of inspiration, Dr Hijosa wondered if a traditional philippine garment called the barong tagalog could hold the key to making a natural leather alternative. The fancy embroidered shirt is worn untucked over an undershirt and is considered a lace-like luxury textile. It is traditionally made from piña, a Philippine fibre made from pineapple leaves dating back to the 17th century.

Dr Hijosa set out to develop a leather-like material from piña, spending seven years on the project earning a PhD at the Royal College of Art in London. Over the course of its development, she collaborated with Bangor University in Wales and Leitat Technological Centre in Spain, among others. Piñatex won the Arts Foundation UK award for Material Innovation in .

How Is Piñatex® Produced?

The main ingredient in Piñatex is the long fibres of pineapple leaves. The global pineapple industry produces 40 million Kilograms of waste pineapple leaves each year. These wasted leaves are normally burned or left to rote.

The normally wasted leaves of 16 pineapple plants are used to create 1 square meter of Piñatex. The production process uses none of the harmful chemicals and processes that are used in the production of genuine leather which gets two thumbs up from environmental activists.

The new industry has created an additional income for pineapple farmers and the biomass leftover from the process is used as a fertilizer. The pineapple cellulose fibres are mixed with a petroleum-based resin to create Piñatex leather.

Not Perfect But Close

Unfortunately, although this natural faux leather is made mostly from waste products, the leather is not biodegradable. The leather is produced with PLA (Polylactic acid), which is also known as bio-plastic. Because PLA is sourced from renewable resources it is often mislabeled as biodegradable.

In , The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) published a detailed paper entitled Biodegradable Plastics and Marine Litter in which they explained the misconceptions and dangers of bio-plastic on the world's oceans. Dr Hijosa and her Piñatex manufacturing company, Ananas Anam Ltd., continue to research alternatives for an even more sustainable option to PLA.