Leather products change over time as users use them, affecting the texture and color.

Genuine leather is animal skin, not man-made.

Each animal skin has a different texture, feel, and appearance.

It takes a lot of time and effort to complete a leather product because it is processed manually by craftsmen.

This time, we will introduce the types of leather and the tanning process that turns leather into leather.

Leather products refer to the state of "leather", but there are kanji characters that have the same meaning as "skin".

Basically, unprocessed leather is referred to as “hide”, and processed for commercialization is “leather”.

Leather products require a tanning process that first uses animal hides before they are processed, and then turns them into leather.

There are various types of tanning, such as combination tanning, tannin tanning, and chrome tanning, and since genuine leather hardens when dried, processing is necessary.

Combination tanning involves both chrome tanning and tanning tanning.

After chrome tanning, the tannins are impregnated and tanned.

By adopting the characteristics of both types of tanning in a well-balanced manner, the strength and softness of chrome tanning can be achieved, and aging can be enjoyed like tannin tanning.

Vegetable tannins taken from plants such as mimosa and oak are used.

Tanning is a method of soaking animal hides in vegetable tannins for several months.

The soaking time is long, but it doesn't put much strain on the leather.

The slow penetration allows the leather to become more supple and soft as it ages.

There is a chrome tanning method in the processing process that can be finished in a short time.

The chromium compound is put into a special machine called a drum and allowed to penetrate.

Although it doesn't change much over time, it is a leather product that doesn't require a lot of maintenance.

In the tanning process, which turns leather into leather, chemicals and oils are used to loosen the fibers of the material in order to increase the durability of the leather product.

And the life of the product will be extended by applying heat-resistant and antiseptic treatment.

In finished genuine leather products, the tannins contained in the leather are oxidized when exposed to ultraviolet rays and combine with oxygen in the air.

Aging of leather occurs because such a chemical reaction occurs.

We coexist with animals, but we are given life to use them for food and fashion items.

It may be human ego, but it can't be helped because it's a world of the law of the fittest.

Some of the animals used for genuine leather are decreasing year by year.

Don't forget to be grateful for the sacrificed animals.

By thinking so, it should lead to continuing to use leather products more carefully.

It takes a lot of labor to turn animal skins into genuine leather products, as it requires manual work by craftsmen, the use of chemicals and oils, and tanning.

From the consumer's point of view, when buying leather products, few people care about the background of how they were made.

Knowing the background to the finished product in this way, you can see that it is not easy to make.

Therefore, it may lead to changing your mind to continue using it carefully.

If you take good care of it, you can keep using it for years or even decades.

And you can enjoy leather aging by using it for many years.

For that reason, moderate maintenance is required, so let's take care of it according to the type of leather.

The types of lasers are as follows.

Cowhide leather is the most commonly used Italian leather and other leather products.

High-quality cowhide is treated as a high-brand or luxury item because of its high rarity value.

"Horse leather" is a type of leather that is not as strong and thick as cowhide.

It is characterized by its soft texture and is used for clothing and sofas.

Among horsehide, cordovan leather, which can be taken from the buttocks, has very fine fibers and hardness, making it a durable leather.

The "sheep leather" type of leather has a fine texture, but is not very strong due to its coarse fibers.

The leather is soft to the touch and thin, and is used for clothing such as coats.

Leather taken from lambs within the first year of life is called lambskin, and it is used as a luxury leather because it is lighter, softer and rarer than ordinary sheepskin.

The material is soft but strong, and goat leather has unique wrinkles on the front side.

As a durable and long-lasting leather, it is used for jackets and clothing by the US Air Force and Navy.

Kid skin is called kids skin, which is lighter and thinner than mature goat leather and used for high-end shoes, gloves, and clothing.

"Pigskin" is characterized by its leather, which has many small holes in the pig's pores and has excellent breathability.

It is strong against friction and lightweight, and is used for the interior of bags and the insoles of shoes.

It is said that "deerskin" has been used for armor and weapons since the Jomon period.

Currently, it is also used in the gloves worn by aircraft pilots.

Deerskin is soft to the touch and has high strength.

Crocodile leather is a type of leather with uneven patterns.

Even people who are not familiar with genuine leather products can easily identify the leather at a glance.

Even high brands carry crocodile leather fashion items.

It is strong, durable and positioned as a luxury leather.

"Snakeskin", which has beautiful scales, is not very strong, but it looks beautiful.

Python snake leather is especially popular, and some have diamond-like patterns, while others have stone walls.

Snakeskin is often used for wallets.

Ostrich leather, which used to be subject to strict trade regulations, is now fattened for meat, making it relatively easy to mass-produce.

It is characterized by round protrusions and is used for wallets and bags.

"Shark leather", which can be obtained from sharks, which are also called the emperor of the sea, has a hard skin called shark skin and is strong and supple.

In addition, hard skin can be used for leather products by descaling using hydrochloric acid and tanning.

The leather is highly waterproof as it is resistant to water and sweat.

Cowhide is the most commonly used type of leather.

In the process of converting animal skins into leather products, tanning processes such as combination tanning, tannin tanning, and chrome tanning are used to turn leather into leather.

Most of the work processes require manual work by craftsmen with excellent skills and knowledge.

When buying leather goods, most people don't care about the background it's made from.

In this way, a great deal of labor and time is spent on the production of genuine leather.