It is one of the best-known natural materials: leather. At the same time, it is widely discussed; alongside real leather, artificial leather is now an essential component of the furniture and clothing industry. Thanks to its unique properties, high tactile comfort and exceptional durability, real leather continues to enjoy unbroken popularity. We would like to explain in detail what you should look out for when buying high-quality leather clothing or leather accessories, such as a belt or a pair of leather shoes.
That's why leather clothing is so popular today
Leather, which is made from animal skin, is one of the oldest materials in human history. To this day, it is used in many areas of life. These include fashion and accessories, furniture, car production, sports, book production and restoration, and also the military.
Even the Stone Age man Ötzi wore leather clothing, which shows how original the material is. Tanned animal skin as protection against the weather and cold, but also against injuries during wars, was popular in all centuries up to modern times. Today, leather is chosen for men primarily for fashion reasons. Real leather is a popular material, especially as a shoe material, but also for belts, bags and jackets. In addition to the typical natural smell, great resistance and durability, the feel is particularly impressive. Unlike artificial leather, real leather is breathable, although this breathability varies from leather to leather. Those who choose high-quality leather clothing often have a product that will last a lifetime, or at least for many years.
Unique genuine leather – How to recognize quality
Since leather is a natural product and not always the same, it is subject to numerous standards and requirements in Germany. This ensures that only high-quality leather from suitable animals is processed. The animals from whose skin leather for men is obtained today include cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, chamois, deer, roe deer, buffalo, bison, horses, kangaroos, ostriches, reptiles such as snakes and crocodiles, fish and elephants.
There are numerous testing methods to identify good genuine leather, which mainly take into account chemical and biological properties such as smell, degree of gloss, bending behavior, water permeability, lightfastness and feel. This is how different leather quality levels are determined. However, there are also characteristics that you can test directly as a layperson:
- Natural look. Good leather looks natural and has a flawless surface.
- Grain. This should be pure and unembossed so that the leather looks truly natural.
- Softness. With a few exceptions, leather should always feel soft and supple.
- Color. A protective film is often applied to leather to make it more robust. This should be thin enough not to affect the natural leather color.
- Breathability. Since leather is a natural material that is breathable, this property must not be restricted by chemical treatments.
- Stability. Although there are differences between individual types of leather, leather is generally very durable and tear-resistant.
Where does the leather for shoes etc. come from?
Since leather is a very expensive material for men, it is worth looking into how this price comes together. Especially from the point of view of animal welfare and quality in processing, it is important to know how the leather you want to buy is made.
In general, you should have all the information available quickly; transparency is essential in leather production. On the one hand, to prevent animal suffering, and on the other, to conserve resources and obtain a natural, high-quality product. Leather is produced in around 40 small work steps, which alone explains the often very high price. The leather manufacturer purchases the often already tanned animal hides as raw material in order to process them further. At this point, the leather hide is still perishable and completely organic.
The actual leather is obtained in a complex, multi-part process:
- Preservation: In the tannery, the raw skin is preserved in salt or by drying.
- Soaking: After arriving at the leather factory, the raw leather is freed of these salts by soaking it in water. Coarse dirt can also be removed in this way, and the raw leather also reaches its natural water content, which is essential for further processing.
- Liming: Lime and a sulphur compound are added to remove hair and the epidermis from the raw leather. This prepares the skin fibres to absorb the tanning agents.
- Fleshing: With the help of sharp knife rollers, the subcutaneous tissue, meat residues and non-collagenous proteins as well as fat are removed from the rawhide.
- Splitting: Here the hair side of the raw leather is separated from the flesh side. Smooth leather is ultimately obtained from the so-called grain split, and suede leather is obtained from the flesh side.
- Nakedness: The raw skin that has now been obtained is known technically as nakedness and is already particularly durable.
- Pickling and mordanting: In this step, acids and enzymes are added to the leather to prepare it for tanning.
- Tanning: First, the leather is prepared with acid and salt before it is mixed with a water-tanning agent. This makes it robust against heat and resistant to rot.
- Withering: To dewater the leather again, it is pulled through huge rollers.
- Sorting and folding: After the leather has been divided into different quality groups, it is pulled through rollers again to bring it to an even thickness.
- Wet finishing: In this step, the acid added during tanning is neutralized. The leather is then dyed and greased, although these steps vary depending on the type of leather.
- Drying: By wilting and stretching, any remaining water is pressed out of the leather fibers and the leather is smoothed. It is then dried and then milled again to loosen any adhesions that arise during the drying process.
- Hydrophobization: To make the leather resistant to water and dirt, it is impregnated.
- Finishing: Depending on the desired look, the leather is printed, embossed, matted or smoothed in the dry finishing process. In this step, the appearance of the leather can change significantly again.
- Final inspection: In order to finally assess the quality of the leather, it is checked whether all requirements were met during the manufacturing process. The leather is then sorted, measured, packaged and sent to the respective manufacturers.
Good leather shoes for men – these are the most popular models
Men like to wear elegant leather shoes, especially at festive occasions such as weddings or other family celebrations. However, men who place great importance on style also wear them in everyday life. Depending on personal taste, there are various leather shoes that are suitable.
Budapester
Originally, this was a very comfortable shoe, characterized by its curved wing caps. Today, brogues are also incorrectly called Budapesters. The real Budapester goes well with business casual looks, chinos and corduroy trousers.
Oxford
This elegant shoe is a true classic. It comes with a so-called closed lacing and is the first choice for very formal occasions. It goes well with a business suit as well as elegant evening suits and tuxedos.
Derby
This shoe is the open alternative to the Oxford shoe. You can recognize it by the fact that the leather pieces on which the lacing rests look like little wings. The Derby shoe is available in many materials, including smooth leather and suede. It is a perfect business shoe and is perfect for all business casual outfits.
monk strap
This very classic shoe has experienced a revival in recent years: instead of lacing, it has one or even two leather straps as a closure on the top. It is extravagant, but still formal, so it can be worn for all business occasions and also for weddings.
loafers / slippers
This casual shoe is not usually combined with a classic suit, but rather with smart-casual looks with chinos and loose cotton trousers. Only black patent leather slippers are often chosen with a tuxedo or tailcoat.
Do you need help choosing the right shoes to go with your suit? We're happy to advise you and work with you to find an ensemble that suits you perfectly! Just talk to us.