It’s a great question, and one we love to answer...

Leather is one of man’s earliest and most useful discoveries. Our ancestors used leather to protect themselves from the elements. Primitive man hunted wild animals for food, then made clothing, footwear and crude tents from the hides. Like then, hides used today are a by-product of the meat industry. Animals are raised for the meat, dairy and wool industries, not for their hides. Isn’t it amazing that we can take what is essentially a waste product and make it a useful and beautiful material?

Leather can take a lot of abuse and scuffing and extreme temperature changes with no problem. Since leather has air between its fibres, it acts as insulation from cold or heat. Leather is simply a very durable material that is why it is still used as packing on moving parts or seals on machinery and even on shafts of battleships! Yes, many leathers will scratch especially if they have a very natural, unprotected finish. Surface scratches will not weaken the leather. A modest amount of scratching and scuffing will give you article the “leather look” and distinguish it from any vinyl look-a-likes.

Leather has a very unique structure. It is made up of millions of tiny hairline fibres finer than hair. They are so fine that 2,000 side by side would only span one centimetre. These fine fibres are grouped together into coarser fibres in turn are grouped together into even thicker fibres. These fibres are then woven together in an intricate pattern with special characteristics allowing air channels and passages. This allows air and perspiration to pass through and provides good elasticity. It is especially essential for shoes. In luggage this elasticity helps in comfortable packing.