Understanding Leather

 

Aniline Leather	As the purest form of leather, full aniline is dyed without any pigment applied to the surface. The resulting product retains the natural features, e.g. wrinkles & scars, of the original animal’s hide & therefore only the best raw hides are selected for use. It has a soft feel & will require regular care & is generally used on more exclusive ranges.
Semi-Aniline Leather	Semi-aniline leather has a thin layer of pigment applied during the dying process to protect the leather from wear & staining, whilst still maintaining a soft & supple feel.
Pull-Up Aniline Leather	Pull up aniline leather has an oil or wax coating applied during the dying process to give the leather an overall ‘distressed’ appearance.
Corrected Grain Leather	Corrected grain leather has a protective pigment coating applied during the dying process & is then embossed with an artificial patterned grain to provide a uniform appearance & conceal the natural blemishes of the hide. This is a very economical & durable leather that is suitable for commercial or domestic environments. It is easy to maintain & care for & is ideal for everyday use. 80% of leather upholstery in the market uses corrected grain.
By-Cast Leather	By cast leather is genuine leather made from a real hide with a clear, synthetic layer of protective coating, recognisable due to its sheen.
Regenerated Leather	Regenerated leather is made by grinding the waste scraps of leather with a small amount of natural rubber, to create a hardwearing & economical material suitable for furniture uses.

Split Leather

“A term to describe re-coated embossed leather made from the under layer of hide”.

Certain lounges within our range may state that they are made from a combination of cow hide leather & split leather. Split leather is genuine leather that is made from a second layer that has been cut (or split) from a hide. Split leather does not have the tensile or stretch quality of the top layers of a hide & is therefore generally used on the non-contact areas (i.e. rear & sides) of a lounge. These areas do not require the same resilience as contact areas (i.e. seat cushions & back cushions), which are more prone to wear. The overall effect is a durable & economical furniture product.

Other Considerations

Full aniline, semi-aniline & pull up leather have less or no protective coating applied during the dying process & therefore will be less durable & require more regular care than other forms of leather. Corrected grain leather is more suitable for everyday use.

By Dezign only uses the term ‘full leather’ to describe products where all upholstery material (both the contact areas & non-contact areas) are made from leather. The term ‘combination leather’ may be used where the contact areas are upholstered in leather & the non-contact areas are upholstered in bonded or synthetic materials.