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Faux Leather: meaning
Known as a valid substitute for real leather, faux leather is an artificial leather made by spreading a fabric with vinyl resins or overlaying it with a polymeric film.
According to Liberty Leather Goods, there are two types of faux leather that encompass a multitude of sub-categories:
- Semi-synthetic, consisting of a base of real leather onto which a layer of PU plastic is spread.
- Synthetic, made entirely from a polymeric coating fabric.
The latter type is the most common and is also known as "vegan leather".
Attention! Vegan leather and eco-leather are two distinct and separate things.
In fact, eco-leather refers to an animal-origin material whose production processes have a reduced environmental impact ("eco" stands for "ecological").
The materials typically used to produce faux leather are PVC and polyurethane (PU).
For quality products, such as our couvettes, PU is used because it has superior physical characteristics compared to PVC and is more sustainable.
The graphic rendering is also not indifferent.
However, faux leathers are often mistaken for real leather.
FAUX LEATHER VS REAL LEATHER: THE DIFFERENCES
There are three factors to immediately distinguish them:
- Color: Real leather shows imperfections and graininess and absorbs color unevenly, while faux leather has a homogeneous and almost perfect surface.
- Odor: Real leather has a characteristic smell, while faux leather tends to have a plastic odor, especially during its processing.
- Heat: Real leather emits heat after being touched for a while.
Also noteworthy is the ability of faux leather to be water-resistant, unlike real leather.
This characteristic is a double-edged sword: on one hand, it doesn't fully absorb water, but on the other hand, it is a less breathable material.
Nevertheless, its greatest advantage remains both in lower cost and versatility of use and cleaning.
In summary, the differences can be summarized as follows:
|
FAUX LEATHER |
REAL LEATHER |
|
Vegan |
Animal Origin |
|
Water resistant |
Breathable |
|
Moderate resistance to time |
Resistant to time |
|
Cheap |
Expensive |
FAUX LEATHER IN PVC VS FAUX LEATHER IN PU: THE DIFFERENCES
Both artificial materials.
For PU leather, polyurethane is applied to the top of the leather material. PU provides an excellent finish and makes the fabric flexible.
PVC leather, on the other hand, has a foam layer and then a plastic coating.
In terms of durability, thanks to its foam layer, PVC surpasses PU, while considering the elasticity of the material, the opposite happens.
In essence, the differences are:
|
PU LEATHER |
PVC LEATHER |
|
Elastic |
Not elastic |
|
Breathable but not too much |
Non breathable |
|
Doesn't last too much |
Lasts a lot |
GRANA, TEXTURE E FINITURE DELLA PELLE
RECOGNIZING THE TYPE OF LEATHER TO MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE FOR YOUR PROJECT
For each type of leather, there are countless textures, grains, and finishes.
Knowing some of them in advance is useful for choosing the right leather for your project.
To start, we can categorize the most appreciated textures by our customers into the following categories:
Smooth
Leather without texture, completely smooth. The most famous types are patent leather, pull-up leather,
In the first image, we have Painted Leather: leather with an ultra-gloss finish created by the application of a transparent varnish.
In the second one, instead, we have Pull-up Leather: Pull-up leather is leather that is treated with oils or waxes with a lightening effect to give it different shades and nuances when pulled or folded.
Flat grain
Leather with a visible grain but very smooth to the touch.
Pigmented leather: Pigmented leather is the most affordable and requires the least maintenance, offering a wider range of colors to choose from.
Grainy
The grain is very marked and easy to feel with a touch.
Pebbled Grain
The term 'pebble-grain leather' refers to leather that has been given a raised texture similar to that of pebbles.
On the surface, there are some small raised points, rounded or irregular. This gives the leather the appearance of a cluster of small stones.
Incisa
Leather whose texture has been created using heat and pressure.
It can be used to create unique and singular patterns such as Saffiano, or replicate the textures of Crocodile or Ostrich leather.
Pelle incisa texture coccodrillo: viene creata con una macchina che combina il calore e un timbro per premere sulla pelle fino a lasciare un'impronta.
Questo crea l'aspetto e la sensazione della vera pelle di coccodrillo. La stampa della pelle crea una texture che ricrea la profondità e la ricchezza della vera pelle di rettile su una pelle sintetica e artificiale.
Scamosciata (suede)
Very similar and more affordable than suede.
The substantial difference lies in the fact that suede is obtained by working on the inner side of the animal's skin, while suede leather is obtained by working on the animal's outer skin or hide. Its surface is soft and velvety to the touch.
Now that we have discovered the leathers/faux leathers with the most appreciated textures, it's also important to understand what kind of finish they can have. They can be distinguished as:
- Natural
- Painted
- Glossy
- Matte
- Satin
Warning!
The finish can change the appearance of the leather, giving it a sense of artificiality or emphasizing its texture.
For this reason, before creating our products, we conduct a detailed study on the possible combination of materials to achieve our customer's desired effect.
If you want to discover our latest creations, visit our website at www.filippi1965.it!
