Are leather bags durable?
Do you know how long your favourite leather bag will last? You’ve probably heard that we should replace wallets and handbags every few years, but what about the leather cases you throw into your day-to-day carry?
Do you know when it’s time to stop using them?
With leather bags, there are a few rules of thumb for evaluating the quality of leather.
The thicker the top of the leather, the longer the leather will last.
A thin top adds tension to the leather, causing the leather to stretch and weaken. A thick top will not stretch, but will not last as long as a thinner top.
Did you know a leather bag lifespan can last up to 7-10 years or even longer? This is because genuine leather bags do not degrade as quickly as faux leather and are also waterproof.
A leather bag is practically indestructible, and the reason for this is the leather’s natural resistance to natural elements.
This means that a high-quality leather bag will last a long time. Not everything has to give way, especially if you’ve invested in a good quality bag. They made these bags to last and used for years.
What is leather?
Leather is a durable and flexible material that has been used since ancient times for clothing and other goods.
It was once an animal skin, but as it ages, it takes on a unique character with distinctive properties.
It is a material that is widely used in the production of consumer goods, from clothing and leather shoes to wallets and purses.
Leather is made from the skin, stomach lining, and outer layer of an animal’s hide. It is tanned by using chemicals that remove the outer layer of the skin, leaving the inner layer intact.
After the skin is removed, it is made into leather.
It has been used for clothing, footwear, and other forms of adornment for thousands of years.
Some of the earliest leather was sourced from animals such as sheep and cows, then later it was changed to use animal hides of other animals such as horses, dogs, wild boar, and even goats.
Leather is a tough, durable material. It is cheap to produce, and it is resistant to most things that are liquids, and a lot of things that are gases.
To make leather, you need a tanned animal skin. The animal skin is placed in a mixture of tanning agents, such as salts, pigments, and chemicals.
Animal’s skin must be tanned for several days. The tanning process makes the leather soft allowing it be moulded.
Exactly how the leather is moulded depends on the type of leather.
Get to know the material
Just because a bag is made from layer of animal skin doesn’t mean it has to look like it!
Very few people know that the tanning process of animal hide is very different from that which is used for making leather.
Leather is made by tanning two split layer of animal hide of differing thicknesses.
The hide is split into horizontal layers, the grain layer which is the top layer and the corium layer, the inside layer is rough and hard, while the outermost layer is soft and supple.
Dying leather is an old craft that started in the Middle Ages. That is still true today, and many traditional dyes are still used around the world.
However, there are many more modern dying processes to choose from these days, and these range from water-based to solvent-based dyes, and everything in between.
The colouring process of leather goods begins with the hide being tanned, which is a method of making a material softer, pliable, and less porous.
The process begins by soaking the hide in a pit full of water; this creates a bath of undried and de-greased leather. Then, the hide is stretched over a frame, where it is squeezed and stretched.
The patina process is caused by a change in the leather’s surface. It can be caused by the leather age, exposure to the sun, dirt, and wear & tear. It is the natural ageing of leather.
The leather is then placed in an oven until it dries, which is known as the dry-out stage. The leather is then dyed, possibly with a dye of your choice.
The skin on a piece of leather degrades once it is exposed to dust and sunlight, which can lead to a loss of colour, smell, and softness.
In caring for your leather products, there are a lot of things to remember.
Leather is a natural material with a rich history and is regarded as being the ultimate material in which to create a product and it is for this reason that it is used throughout the world.
It is a very hard-wearing material and should be kept that way to ensure leather longevity and its natural strength.
Types of Real Leather
Different leather are used for different purposes, and each type has its own characteristics, uses and qualities.
- Top-Grain Leather
Top-grain leather is the best kind of leather because it is pure leather. It is a natural product and has not been treated.
It has a smooth surface, supple texture that feels like butter when held. It also has stronger colour retention and is harder wearing than full grain leather.
Often used for high-quality, durable products, such as upholstery, car seats, and high-quality leather apparel.
- Full-Grain Leather
Is the original raised layer of the hide that is intended for creating the final product.
Full-grain leather will have the original grain pattern that was present in the stock animal’s skin, and that grain pattern will be visible in the finished product.
Also, the most durable and organic version of leather available, since it is made with the same properties that an animal’s skin produced.
Best used for leather shoes and bags that are on the outside of your body where dirt and bacteria cannot contaminate the leather.
- Genuine Leather
A type of leather that is made from a single piece of natural leather that has not been manufactured.
The old-fashioned type of leather clothing and shoes were made from genuine leather, since it was considered to be the best quality.
Genuine leather is a term used to describe natural leather, the kind you would normally find in a high-quality leather handbag or leather jacket.
- Bonded Leather
A type of leather that is made in two parts. (The two parts are the grain and the face). Bonding is done to improve the strength and durability of the leather.
Been permanently bonded to fabric in the form of a sandwich. This produces an incredibly strong and durable material that’s resistant to damage and strong against staining.
The leather you find in a bonded leather is a product of a long drawn-out process called tanning.
- Other Types of Leather
- Goat Leather
- Buffalo Leather
- Calfskin leather
- Cowhide Leather
- Cow Leather
Low-quality leather may be used in the production process, or the grade of leather quality may be of the lowest grade than that used for the more expensive bags.
Even though some types of leather are more durable than others, each type of bag requires a certain amount of proper care that is required.
Factors that Affect the Durability of Leather Bags
Some factors that affect the durability of leather bags are not necessarily things you can control.
When you choose leather for your bag, you are making a statement that you appreciate quality, style, and craftsmanship.
While leather bags can be expensive, they last a long time, and if you want to keep making use of it for years, invest in a good one.
We tend to associate leather with quality, and we believe that this is because leather is a natural material that has many advantages over synthetic materials.
Since leather is an organic material, it is naturally durable and does not tend to deteriorate or lose its quality over time.
Leather is also naturally water resistant and easy to care for, which makes it an ideal material for use in luggage.
There are many factors that affect the durability of leather bags; one of the most important factors is the quality or grade of the leather. The higher the grade of leather, the more durable your bag will be.
There are also many other factors that can affect the quality and durability of a bag, such as the availability of full-grain and top-grain leather, the type of thread used, the hardware used, and the condition of the bag after use.
But it’s important to note that this durability is not the only thing that makes leather bags excellent.
To understand the various factors that affect the durability of leather product, let’s take a closer look at the composition of leather and the impact each part has on the durability of a bag.
In conclusion
Bags are something that we use every day. And while we use them many times, few of us actually think about the process of maintenance.
But, if you hold up the bag for a moment, you’ll realise it has a life story. You see, most bags are made from plastic, rubber, cloth, and leather. And these materials have a limited life span.
Even though leather has a very high value in terms of durability, its life span is not long. Leather is a living material.
Beyond its practical uses, leather is also a beautiful material and is often used in fashion accessories, furniture, handbags, and other decorative items.
Leather bags, especially if they have been maintained well, have a very long shelf life.
In fact, they can often be used for several years after being purchased, with only minor repairs from time to time. The only thing that may make a leather bag fall apart is water damage.
But even in such cases, you can restore the bag to its original condition with the help of a good waterproofing agent.
Leather bags last a long time because most of them have been made to last for a long time. In fact, many of them are made to last decades.
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