History of Leather Page1

Leather is one of the oldest and most durable products known to man and a natural material that will mellow gracefully with age and regular use. There is a wide diversity of leathers produced throughout the world and this is amply reflected in the ranges that we offer

Upholstery hide is the most widely used leather in the UK. We carry a comprehensive collection with a variety of different colours and textures. Leather is a natural product and skins may vary slightly from skin to skin so patterns and colour samples should be regarded only as a guide.

Leather Types
Leather is a collective term for all hides and skins which have been tanned. These can come from any type of animal.

Because it is a by-product of the meat industry most leather is produced from cow, sheep, goat and pigskin. There are smaller amounts of deerskin and exotic leathers such as crocodile, lizard and the like.

The majority of leather products are made from cow-hide especially in the upholstery and automotive trade’s as these provide the skin area needed to cut the largest panels.

Sheepskin has a soft handle (touch/feel) and is used predominantly for clothing. Pig skin, is used for clothing especially in its suede form, and also in the lining of many types of footwear.

Quality
The quality of leather is determined mainly by the condition of the grain/surface.In general, the hides from poorer countries are less well nourished and less well kept and so have more surface damage such as scars, insect bites and disease marks. Those from richer countries have a better grain quality and are much cleaner so demanding a higher price.