Leather

A number of rock groups, particularly Heavy Metal groups such as the Scorpions and Judas Priest, are well-known for wearing leather clothing. The television show Sex and the City mentioned his shoes so often that it helped cement his place in pop culture, and he was said to be the "fifth star" of the show after the show's four lead actresses. Leather fetishism is the name popularly used to describe a fetishistic attraction to people wearing leather, or in certain cases, to the garments themselves. They often come with stiletto heels, which can reach as high as five and a half inches, and embellishments like beads or ribbons. As leather can also be a metonymical term for things made from it, the term leathering is as logical as tanning in the sense of a physical punishment (such as a severe spanking) applied with a leather whip. His shoes, now sold in stores bearing his name around the world, range in price from about $500 to $2500. When motorcycles were invented, some riders took to wearing heavy leather jackets to protect from road rash and wind blast; some also wear chaps or full leather pants to protect the lower body. He moved to London in 1970 and opened his first shop in 1973 by buying out an existing shop called Zapata in Chelsea.

The enduring image of a cowboy in leather chaps gave way to the leather-jacketed and leather-helmeted aviator. Born in Santa Cruz in the Canary Islands to a Czech father and a Spanish mother and raised on a banana plantation, Blahnik graduated from the University of Geneva with a degree in literature in 1965 and went on to study art in Paris. Leather, due to its excellent abrasion and wind resistance, found a use in rugged occupations. Manolo Blahnik (born November 27, 1942) is a Spanish fashion designer and an eponymous fashion label, one of the world's most prominent in women's shoes. Leather can be decorated by a variety of methods, including:. I think this is what evil looks like." - Blahnik on the worst feet he could imagine. Various treatments are available:. a hobo in Jesus sandals, with long, black, round nails.

The natural fibers of leather will break down as time goes by. "Maybe in L.A. These bumps are then usually dyed white to highlight the decoration. The leather is often dyed black and covered with tiny round bumps in the natural pattern of the back ridge of an animal. Sting ray leather is as tough and durable as hard plastic.

In Thailand, sting ray leather is used in wallets and belts in the same way as regular cow leather. Ostrich leather has a characteristic "goose bump" look because of the large follicles from which the feathers grew. As a side product, ostrich leather became available and is currently used by all the big fashion houses like Hermès, Prada and Gucci. In the 1970s, farming of ostriches for their feathers became popular.

For this reason certain snakes and crocodiles have been hunted to near extinction. Leather made from more exotic skins has at different times in history been considered very beautiful. Kangaroo leather is favored by motorcyclists specifically because of its lighter weight and higher abrasion resistance as compared to cowhide. Kangaroo leather is used to make items which need to be strong but flexible, such as motorcycle gloves.

Lamb and deer skin are used for soft leather in more expensive apparels. Today, most leather is made of cow hides, but many exceptions exist. Other leather manufacturers state the thickness directly in millimetres. The weight is usually given as a range because the inherent variability of the material makes ensuring a precise thickness very difficult.

Hence leather described as 7 to 8 oz is 7/64 to 8/64 inches (2.8 to 3.2 mm) thick. The thickness value can be obtained by the conversion:. Although the statement is in ounces only, it is an abbreviation of ounces per square foot. In some parts of the world top-grain thicknesses are described using weight units of ounces.

Leather is sold in a variety of thicknesses. There are two other descriptions of leather commonly used in speciality products, such as briefcases, wallets, and luggage. Other less-common leathers include:. In general, leather is sold in three forms:.

For further information on the production of leather see tanning. Frequent oiling of leather, with mink oil, neatsfoot oil or a similar material, keeps it supple and improves its lifespan dramatically. This supplements the natural oils remaining in the leather itself, which can be washed out through repeated exposure to water. Leather—usually vegetable-tanned leather—can be oiled to improve its water resistance.

There are a number of processes whereby the skin of a dead animal can be formed into a supple, strong material commonly called leather. . Leather with the fur still attached is simply called fur. Together with wood, leather formed the basis of much ancient technology.

Leather was a very important clothing material, and its other uses were legion. Leather is a material created through the tanning of hides, pelts and skins of animals, primarily cows. beading. pyrography.

leather embossing. leather stamping. leather carving. leather painting.

leather dying. Conditioners. 1 oz/ft² = 1/64 inch (0.4 mm). Napa leather, or Nappa leather, is extremely soft and supple, and is commonly found in higher quality wallets, toiletry kits, and other personal leather goods.

Belting leather is the only kind of leather used in luxury products that can retain its shape without the need for a separate frame; it is generally a heavy weight of full-grain, vegetable-tanned leather. It is often found on the surface of briefcases, portfolios, and wallets, and can be identified by its thick, firm feel and smooth finish. Belting leather is a full grain leather that was originally used in driving pulley belts and other machinery. The resulting supple suede-like hide is usually smoked heavily to prevent it from rotting.

Buckskin or brained leather is a tawing process that uses animal brains or other fatty materials to alter the leather. Shagreen is now commonly made of the skins of sharks and rays. Shagreen is a rough and grainy type of untanned leather, formerly made from a horse's back, or that of a wild ass, and typically dyed green. Modern patent leather usually has a plastic coating.

The original process was developed in Newark, New Jersey by inventor Seth Boyden in 1818. Patent leather is leather that has been given a high gloss finish. Latigo is one of the trade names for this product. For example, in one process, glue is mixed with one side of the suede, which is then pressed through rollers; these flatten and even out one side of the material, giving it the smooth appearance of full-grain.

However, as the look of full-grain is in demand, manufacturers use a variety of techniques to make suede appear to be full-grain. Suede is cheaper because many pieces of suede can be split from a single thickness of hide, whereas only one piece of top-grain can be made. Suede is less durable than top-grain. It is "fuzzy" on both sides.

Suede is the interior split of the hide. Top grain leather generally must be heavily painted to cover up the sanding and stamping process. The hides, which are made from inferior quality raw materials, have all of the natural grain sanded off, and an artificial grain applied. The smooth side is the side where the hair and natural grain used to be.

Corrected Leather is fuzzy on one side and smooth on the other. Corrected-Grain Leather. The finest furniture, and footwear, are made from Full Grain leather. Rather than wearing out, it will develop a natural "Patina" and grow more beautiful over time.

The natural Full-Grain surface will wear better than other leather. The natural grain also has natural breathability, resulting in greater comfort. The grain remains in its natural state which will allow the best fiber strength, resulting in greater durability. Only the hair has been removed.

Full-Grain leather, made from the finest raw material, are clean natural hides which have not been sanded to remove imperfections. They are known for their exceptional softness and their ability to be washed. They are made by a labor-intensive process which uses emulsified oils (often those of animal brains) and which has not been industralized. Brain-tanned leathers are exceptionaly absorbent of water.

More esoteric colors are possible using chrome tanning. It is more supple and pliable than vegetable-tanned leather, and does not discolor or lose shape as drastically in water as vegetable-tanned. Chrome-tanned leather, invented in 1858, is tanned using chromium sulfate and other salts of chromium. Historically, it was used as armour due to its hardness and light weight, but it has also been used for book binding.

Boiled leather is a hide product (vegetable-tanned leather) that has been hardened by being immersed in hot water, or in boiled wax or similar substances. Rawhide is stiffer and more brittle than other forms of leather, and is primarily found in uses such as drum heads where it does not need to flex significantly; it is also cut up into cords for use in lacing or stitching. Like alum-tanning, rawhide is not technically "leather", but is usually lumped in with the other forms. Rawhide is made by scraping the skin thin, soaking it in lime, and then stretching it while it dries.

Very light shades of leather are possible using this process, but the resulting material is not as supple as vegetable-tanned leather. Purists argue that alum-tanned leather is technically "tawed" and not tanned, as the resulting material will rot in water. Alum-tanned leather is tanned using aluminum salts mixed with a variety of binders and protein sources, such as flour, egg yolk, etc. In hot water, it will shrink drastically and plasticize, becoming rigid and eventually becoming brittle.

Vegetable-tanned leather is not stable in water; it tends to discolor, and if left to soak and then dry it will shrink and become less supple and harder. It is supple and brown in color, with the exact shade depending on the mix of chemicals and the color of the flesh. Vegetable-tanned leather is tanned using tannin (hence the name "tanning") and other ingredients found in vegetable matter, tree bark, and other such sources.