A pair of leather shoes, if you use the human body as a metaphor, the outsole of leather shoes is like a skeleton to stabilize the leather shoes, and the leather upper is like a skin to shape the shape, the leather is like our skin, which is related to the overall style and appearance of the leather shoes.
The so-called leather used in shoemaking is a raw material produced by animal skin, which has been preservatively processed, oiled or waxed, and finally dyed leather. Most of the leather shoes are made of cow leather, so we will focus on cow leather today, to introduce you to the basic shoe knowledge about leather.
CHAPTER 1. The way to distinguish between real leather and fake leather (synthetic leather) shoes
The way to distinguish between genuine and fake leather (synthetic leather) is a headache for the average consumer and even leather enthusiasts.
Does real or fake skin come off? This is a problem that bothers many people.
After a period of use, the skin on the surface will fall off and be mottled, and the degree of air permeability and durability is not as high as that of the real leather; Leather is with the use of the user, the surface color changes more and more good-looking characteristics, in addition to the appearance of the texture, but also because of irreplaceable breathability, and deeply loved by everyone. However, the current technology of making synthetic leather can even imitate the pores by pressing it, and there are many bizarre ways to distinguish it, such as burning it with fire, smelling it, cutting the skin to see the profile, and so on.
In fact, these methods can still distinguish between real and fake skin, but …… If you burn your shoes in a shoe store, you will be driven away; Those who smell will smell the feet of the previous fitter; Not to mention cutting the skin, you can make sure you want to buy it before you can confirm whether it is real or fake. Here I will teach you a few ways to distinguish real, fake and synthetic skin!
▲The shoes made of fetal cowhide have many innate fine lines
Distinguishing between genuine and false leather 1. Whether there are capillaries in the leather upper
Genuine leather is the skin of animals, and it will have pores just like humans, so the first step is to check whether there are natural pores of the animal itself. However, as mentioned earlier, the pores can be imitated with embossing, at this time to judge the upper with a slight finger press, if the pores are deformed and elongated, or the pores are irregularly arranged, it is real leather. The imitation pores will remain the same size without deformation, and will be arranged regularly.
▲ If you look closely, you can see the natural pores
▲The pores should be irregularly arranged
Distinguish between real and false leatherMethod 2. Look for any natural traces
In the process of growing up, it is inevitable that there will be insect bites, or scars left by grinding fences, and the master will hide these natural traces in the inconspicuous parts of the shoes in order not to waste them when choosing the leather surface. Therefore, as long as you carefully observe the heel of the shoe and the waist on the inside, you can find these natural traces to determine that this must be a shoe made of genuine leather!
▲ traces of natural leather, vascular lines
▲ Traces of natural leather, skin scars and vascular lines
These lines and marks are not blemishes, but rather the precious parts of the leather, and now in order not to waste too much leather, the masters will also want to make good use of each part.
CHAPTER 2. When making leather shoes, the factors that judge the quality of leather
When choosing genuine leather to make leather shoes, there will be several ways to judge the quality of leather, and then use these differences to judge the suitable shoe style and how to use this leather. In general, there are several simple ways to judge:
the age of the cattle, the latitude of the place of origin, the part of leather used, the way it is tanned, and the way it is post-processed.
Factors influencing the quality of genuine leather 1. The age of the cattle
Just like humans, younger cows produce more delicate, soft, and light leather, with fewer scars and growth lines. The leather of adult cattle is harder, and the lines on the body are more and coarse, and heavier than the leather, but the toughness is higher. Therefore, generally speaking, the fetal cow leather or calf leather made by the younger cow cow is much higher than that of the adult cowhide due to the good leather quality and small skin area.
▲Leather changes of the age of the cow
Factors influencing the quality of genuine leather 2. The latitude of the leather origin
The latitude and altitude of the cattle will also affect the quality of the skin, and the higher latitudes will grow more slowly, so there are fewer growth lines and fine pores, and because there are fewer mosquitoes in cold areas, there are fewer skin scars on the cattle. On the other hand, cattle in tropical areas have many growth lines, skin scars, and large pores.
▲ Leather differences in the latitude of cattle
Genuine leather is good or badInfluencing factor 3. The leather part of the shoe
Due to the influence of gravity, there are many wrinkles in the neck and stomach of the cow, so when making shoes, the most beautiful parts are usually the shoulders, back, and hips. These better parts are used in the upper part of the shoe. The neck, stomach, and legs, which have more scars and wrinkles, will be used to make soles, strips, and linings…… and other hidden parts that will not be seen. This approach can make more effective use of every inch of cowhide, so that the utility of a cow can be maximized.
▲Diagram of cattle parts
▲ Cowhide development diagram and corresponding production parts
Genuine leather is good or badInfluencing factor 4. Leather tanning techniques
Tanning is actually a step in removing hair, flesh and skin from leather and embalming, and the simplest classification is divided into two methods: chrome tanning and vegetable tanning.
● Chrome tanned leather
The chrome-tanned leather has a blue color, hence the name wet-blue. It can be made into a variety of bright, bright and stable colors. The texture is softer than vegetable tanning, and it is water-resistant, dirt-resistant, and not easy to produce obvious scratches, and is often used in the upper and inner parts.
▲ chrome tanning machine
▲ Wet blue skin
● Vegetable-tanned leather
The vegetable-tanned skin has a dark brown color, also known as black tea skin. It is the oldest traditional tanning method of human beings, derived from the animal skin after hunting by the ancients, adding natural plants to soak for a long time, and tannic acid will make the raw skin become a leather that can be preserved for a long time. Tough and firm, the skin lines and scars are clearly visible, so the requirements for the cortex are high and the cost is high. It is commonly used in the production of leather outsoles.
▲Vegetable tanning machine and black tea skin
Genuine leather is good or badInfluencing factor 5. The way the leather is post-processed
Post-processing can be roughly divided into two stages, the first stage is dyeing, and the dyeing process can be divided into: benzene dyeing and coatings.
【Benzene dyed skin】
It is the original leather that is dyed, so the natural luster of the leather can be retained, as well as the natural traces such as fine lines and blood vessels are retained, and the pores are clearly visible, so the air permeability is also better. For example, just like makeup, benzochrome leather is only on the cream type of leather is the most attractive in texture, from its skin-friendly and delicate touch. There is almost no coloring or finishing on the surface, so the pores and surface textures are clearly visible.
▲Benzene dyed leather
Finally, the benzene dyed leather will be treated with another layer of post-processing, so that the final appearance of the style is different, roughly divided into waxy skin, and oily skin, the difference between the two depends on the leather when the final coating, the proportion of oil and wax used is different. The biggest difference between oily skin and waxy skin is the texture on the leather surface, which can directly affect the style presented by this leather surface.
● Waxy skin
Waxy skin, as the name suggests, has a wax-smeared surface. The most special thing is that the color of the waxy leather surface changes greatly with use, and usually the waxy leather will show a worn, retro gradient.
In terms of maintenance, the personality of waxy leather is more special, if you want to maintain the original color, you need to use plant-based skin care products, there are many friends who like to make waxy leather present a deeper color, will use the characteristics of leather and choose animal skin care products, to deliberately make the upper color darker.
▲Waxy leather surface
▲ Shoes made of waxy leather (Shoes: Wholecut Wing Stitch Oxford Shoes Honey Brown )
● Oily skin
The surface has a beautiful and rich oily luster, and the shoe is made of oily leather, and the color of the upper and body is more consistent. The rich oil also makes the leather surface less absorbent, so it is loved by many men who need to wear leather shoes from time to time. There is no restriction on maintenance, and if you use animal-based nourishing milk, you can make the surface color more shiny.
▲Oily leather surface
▲ Shoes made of oily leather ( display shoes: Basic Derby shoes thick quenching )
【Paint Leather】
It is to apply a heavy layer of paint to the leather surface, the appearance looks very clean, there will be no natural traces, the pores will also be filled invisible, and the air permeability is very poor. Painted leather is like wearing a thicker makeup, and the leather has an “almost identical” appearance characteristic, which is usually the original leather is polished to treat the blemishes and spots on the surface, and then the surface is coated to make the overall leather uniform. “In Taiwan, these natural traces are generally considered flawed. But in fact, in foreign concepts, this is a natural and real symbol, a good quality leather shoes. 」
CHAPTER 3. How to distinguish between cow bago leather and suede leather
Nubargo and suede are two of the most mistaken leathers in stores, in fact, it is relatively rare to hear people use the word “nubargo”. These two kinds of leather are leather that will have a plush feeling on the leather surface, if you want to strictly say the difference in touch,
it can be explained as follows: Nubago is a delicate velvet, suede is a rough hair. The parts used in these two types of leather are also very different.
● Cow Bago
It is made of sandpaper on the first layer of leather, and the leather surface has a fine velvety feel, which is soft to the touch and the leather is tougher.
● Suede
It is polished with two layers of leather or three layers of leather, and the fine hairs on the surface are longer and more obvious, and the hair feeling is more obvious to the touch with a little roughness, especially the suede made of three layers of leather, the leather is very hard, and the surface is very rough.
▲ Comparison of Niu Bago and suede
▲ Cortical diagram
Leather shoes made of cow bago leather and fine suede are more elegant, and therefore, they are more commonly used in the appearance of gentlemen’s shoes.
▲ Use the nuvine for the classic Penny loafer (display shoes: classic double-stitched penny loafers morning twilight gray )
▲ Fine suede makes gentleman’s shoes more elegant (display shoes: classic double-stitched penny loafers morning twilight gray)
In the case of suede, unlike the delicate and gentlemanly cow bago, the rough surface makes the suede a little more rough and casual, so it is more often used in more casual, rough and individual shoes such as work boots and cherch boots.
▲ Suede for work boots (display shoes: gentlemanly horizontal work boots camel brown)
▲ Suede makes the rough feeling more intense (display shoes: gentleman horizontal work boots camel brown)
epilogue
The knowledge and context of leather footwear is complex, and leather is only one part of it. The knowledge shared in this article is part of the knowledge of leather shoes, and more different shoe knowledge will be brought to you in the future, I hope this article can bring you more knowledge about leather.
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