Faux Leather vs Real Leather
There is no substitute for quality, and this couldn’t be more true when considering leather. You might be tempted by the price or how easily faux goods are to come by but as the old adage goes; buy cheap, buy twice. At Harrisson Australia, the quality of our leather productions is what inspires our designers, and it’s what has earned us a fantastic reputation with YouTube fashion bloggers in the USA and beyond. Let’s discuss why you should invest in real leather and the true price of faux.
What is faux leather?
If you find yourself asking what is faux leather, then let’s recap on what constitutes faux leather. Faux leather is also known as artificial leather, fake leather and synthetic leather. As these names suggest, the leather is manufactured using synthetic materials, and not animal hide (real leather). Faux leather material is typically made from one of two materials - polyurethane (PU) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC/vinyl). Typically you will see faux leather on upholstery and shoes. Unfortunately, you can also see faux leather belts, wallets, accessories and notebooks, not that you see them for too long at all. Not only do they feel inferior, but they wear poorly and break down quickly.
Quality comparison: faux leather vs real leather
Leather is skin, and while it might take on a darker or lighter hue over time, it never breaks down. The same cannot be said of faux leather as it is man-made and prone to wear over time. If you compare two wallets, one real leather and the other made from faux leather material, you will find in a year that the stitching starts to come away from the faux leather material. This is due to the faux leather being plastic and not being able to hold those folds and bends and like a real leather can as real leather is more malleable. If the faux leather material appears soft when you first purchase the goods, this treatment will also wear away over time to leave another texture in its place, and often a different colour also. Unfortunately, this is when some unlucky buyers actually learn that they haven’t bought a leather wallet.
When to choose real leather over faux leather material
Depending on your budget and the purpose of your purchase, it might not always be feasible to choose leather every time. Harrison Australia has worked hard to price all its products competitive so that leather can be your first material of choice, but if that’s not the case lets get familiar with what are the non-negotiables real leather items you should be investing in.
Wallets are one such item that must be leather, as they contain your wealth and are used daily. Not only that, but you also don’t want to be changing a wallet every six months or so as this can be an arduous task and one that might cause unnecessary risk. Belts are another item that must be leather as a faux leather material belt will contort quicker with the belts strap holes breaking away and the straight edges of the leather dipping inward. Harrison Australia uses real leather for every belt. Daily accessories should also be chosen for their quality and durability, making our leather notebooks and leather keyrings quite popular as they last the test of time.
Can faux leather material be maintained and cared for?
It’s also interesting to compare how both materials can be maintained, but unfortunately, all the care in the world will not lengthen the life of your faux leather goods. This is where the faux leather vs real leather debate is key. Any marks that you see on your real leather wallet or bag can be conditioned to remove, and with each condition, you are actually injecting moisture into this skin and making your wallet or bag appear supple and new once again. Given faux leather material is man-made, such creams and conditioners will only mark, stain and wear your goods, and so you are at the mercy of whenever your faux leather goods decide to break down.
Don’t be tempted by low prices and impossible promises of any faux leather purchase, as your goods will reduce in value from the moment they arrive, with these plastics unable to keep the form as effortlessly as real leather. In the same way that our skin can be moisturised and looked after for many decades, you should be expecting the same from your goods. If you would like to find out more about any of the materials used in Harrisson Australia’s leather products, you can reach out to your leather designers at any time or view the collection on our website to learn more about each item.