Vegan Leather
So you might have heard the term "vegan leather" by now, and may not know what it is.
If you enjoy real leather, calm down we are not going to call you a "murderer" all we're saying is that faux leather is a good alternative to real leather and why you should consider it when picking out your clothing.
Is Faux Leather Vegan?
Faux leather is vegan, to put it simply, faux leather is not an animal by-product, whether or not that is vegan in the most principled of ways is up for debate but that is not the focus of this post.
Check out Peta's Vegan Clothing Shopping Guide to see what they say about this subject.
Faux Leather vs Real Leather.
Composition
Faux Leather is created by laminating a 100% polyurethane finish to a base material of cotton, polyester, nylon or rayon while real Leather comes from animal hides.
Cost
The cost of faux leather is cheaper than real leather because faux leather can be produced on a larger scale, while real leather is dependent on the supply of cattle hides.
Look and Feel
Faux leather is often used in skirts and jackets and has a somewhat similar feel to real leather.
Faux leather clothing will have a shine to them and have a smooth uniform surface, while real leather will look duller in comparison, be slightly faded and also weigh more.
Real leather looks the way it does and has a slightly blemished surface because of the imperfections in the animals hide. IE the veins and stretch marks, this is considered to add to the character of the leather.
Both materials are resilient with real leather being the stronger and more abrasive resistant of the two materials.
Longevity
The longevity of real leather is undeniably better than faux leather. It is said that real leather actually looks better with age. To care for it you will need a special leather cleaner.
Faux leather is reasonably durable and if faux leather clothing is properly taken care of it will last for several years.
Care
Real leather requires a special leather cleaning solvent. While faux leather can be cleaned with water and soap or even alcohol.
Environment
While producing faux leather does have its environmental downside, it is nowhere near as bad as the impact of real leather.
During the tanning and harvesting of leather, there are huge impacts on water consumption, water pollution, and animal rights violations.
Read more about the environmental impact of Faux Leather vs Real Leather in this article here written by the Ethical Gallery.
Is Vegan Leather Good for Women's Clothing?
Let's face it, faux leather looks great, costs less to buy, requires less effort to maintain, AND is good for the environment and animals. How could you not love this product?
Should We Keep Calling It Vegan Leather?
Faux leather or vegan leather is actually becoming very popular in recent years as more and more people are becoming conscious of the environment.
Let us know if you think we should call it vegan leather or faux leather.
Share this post to help us educate people when it comes to faux leather vs real leather.
Thank You!
Check out this blog post for some outfit ideas with a faux leather skirt.
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