How to Tell Real Leather from Fake Leather

by Max Law from MaxMayo.com

If you're not a fan of leather goods, most of the time you can't tell the difference between a real and a fake leather.

In general, fake leather (or synthetic, artificial, human-made leather) is made of plastic compound and its identity is naturally reflected in the price tag.

You may have already known this:

         

                    Genuine Leather is never cheap.

However, there are times when a premium priced leather good may appear dubious.

For example, a new or a relatively unknown label that claims to use genuine leather in their bags. A "Made in Italy" or a "Genuine Leather" tag inside the bag can't really guarantee their statement.

Before you seek for the advice of experts, here are a few quick tips you can try:

• Real Leather Doesn't Smell Like Plastic

Real leather is made of real animal skin. It should smell like a skin, and it never smell like a plastic, even when it's still a new bag.

• Real Leather Looks Like Skin

Scrutinize the leather and if you see uneven pattern on the leather, it's most likely a real leather. Real skin is not perfect.

Real skin has pores, and the texture varies on different spot of the fabric, just like your skin.

A fake leather will look "too perfect" in comparison. You should be able to notice almost identical pattern and texture across the surface.

Faux vs Genuine Leather. Which is which?

• Real Leather Feels Like Skin

Touch and feel the leather with your hands. The smoothness should be very pleasant, as if you're touching a skin.

Related to the previous point, the texture on the leather should feel natural, not "bumpy".

• Real Leather Wrinkles

Try to flex or pinch the leather. Real leather should wrinkle according to your pressure, while fake leather will stay the same. Fake leather is similar to Botox-injected faces: they won't wrinkle naturally when they smile.

Wrinkles appear when pressed = Genuine Leather

No wrinkle = Faux Leather

So now, let's do a test:

By looking at the texture, can you tell if this leather below is genuine or faux? Let me know your answer at the comment below and do tell me why.

[Click to enlarge]

Ending this post with an informative video on how genuine leathers are made. The tedious process explains why genuine leather is much more expensive than faux:

Hope you find this post helpful.

Source: Image 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Checkout Max at MaxMayo.com and follow him on twitter @maxmayo for more updates and fashion tips!

"Seize the day, Caper Diem"

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