- 积分
- 331
- 最后登录
- 1970-1-1
- 阅读权限
- 100
- 积分
- 331
- 帖子
- 精华
|
Italian leather is often considered to be the best kind of leather in the world. Many designer brands, such as Gucci and Prada, create purses, shoes, belts, jackets and other items from Italian leather. Some of the world's best furniture makers create high-quality couches and chairs using Italian leather.
Most traditional leather comes from the hide of a cow, but Italian leather is often made from the hide of ostriches instead. Ostrich leather is thicker and more durable than traditional leather, and is used by designers including Hermes, Prada, and Louis Vuitton. Italian leather made from ostrich hide also has larger bumps on the surface, creating a "goosebump" appearance. Products made from cow, lamb, or other types of animals may also be considered Italian leather, however.
Italian leather is also traditionally known for the quality of its craftsmanship. Generally, Italian leather is "full grain" leather, which is made from the very best raw hides, so that they do not need to be sanded to get rid of imperfections. Full-grain leather is tougher and more durable than other types of leather, and as it ages, it gains a beautiful sheen.
Because most Italian leather is of such high quality, and can stay in beautiful condition much longer than other types of leather, it can command a premium price. An Italian leather purse, made from ostrich hide, can easily cost upwards of $700 US dollars (USD).
It is important to consider that the term "Italian leather" does not rely on any particular standard, and so the phrase itself cannot guarantee that the leather will be of the highest quality. Rather than paying attention to the term itself, you should consider whether the brand is known for great quality, and what type of hide the leather is made from. If possible, try to see the product in person before you buy it, so that you know the Italian leather is of the quality you expect.
Since we’re all about watch straps here, its probably a good idea to know what “Italian Leather” is. Kind of like knowing what “Swiss Made” is when you are buying a Swiss Watch. Of course, any term that attempts to add value to a product tends to be exploited – stuff like “surgical steel” is now no more an indicator of quality than it is a glorified word for “stainless steel”.
Now, back to Italian Leather. What is it exactly? Well, in short, it refers to leather that is tanned in Italy. Italy has some of the best and most experienced tanneries in the world, with 15% of the world’s entire Leather Output. While it means that the leather is tanned in Italy, it does not mean that the cows that produced the leathers were raised in Italy. Much of the leather that is tanned in Italy is farmed in surrounding areas such as Sweden. Part of the reason that so many Tanneries ended up in Italy is because between 1911-1956, polution from tanneries was a problem causing many countries to shut down their leather tanneries.
In the end, while there are great tanneries in Italy, there is nothing really extra-special about their leathers. Generally speaking you are more assured of a better leather from Italy than you are of a leather from say China, but both countries are capable of producing extremely high quality leather. |
|