Pure Leather v/s Artificial Leather

• What are the historic and upholstery uses of artificial leather?
• Under the name of artificial leather (not to be confused with the more modern Pleather or American leather cloth) large quantities of material having more or less a leather-like surface were once used, principally for upholstery purposes, such as the covering chairs, lining the top of writing desks and tables, and so on.
• There was considerable diversity in the preparation of such materials. A common variety consisted of a web of calico coated with boiled linseed oil mixed with dryers and lampblack or other pigment. Several coats of this mixture were uniformly spread, smoothed and compressed on the cotton surface by passing it between metal rollers, and when the surface was required to possess a glossy enamel-like appearance, it received a finishing coat of copal varnish. A grained Morocco surface was given to the material by passing it between suitably embossed rollers.
• Preparation of this kind has a close affinity to cloth waterproofed with rubber, and to such manufacturers as ordinary waxcloth. A kind of artificial leather which was patented and proposed for use as soles for boots, etc., was composed of powdered scraps and cuttings of leather mixed with solution of guttapercha dried and compressed. In place of the guttapercha solution, oxidized linseed oil or dissolved resin could be used as the binding medium for the leather powder.

• What are the clothing and fabric uses artificial leather?
• Synthetic leathers, at times made from plastics, are often used in clothing and fabrics. Artificial leather is marketed under many brand names, including "leatherette", "faux leather", "Naugahyde", and "pleather". Artificial leather can also be used to make covers for mobile phones.

• What is pleather?
• The term pleather ("plastic leather") is a slang term for synthetic leather made of plastic. The term was coined by Jujji Tanner, when working in Milan for the Dana Lust Fashion House. Upon the arrival of a new line, a plastic leather, Jujj needed a way to advertise the product to customers without calling it plastic. He thus came up with the term Pleather. A portmanteau of plastic and leather, the term is sometimes used derogatorily, implying a cost-cutting Ersatz for genuine hide. Besides cost, pleather may also be preferred because it is lighter than leather, or as an alternative to real leather citing reasons of animal cruelty. Pleather, being made of plastic, will not decompose as quickly.
• Not all pleather is the same. Polyurethane is washable, can be dry-cleaned and allows some air to flow through the garment. PVC pleather in contrast does not "breathe" and is difficult to clean. PVC cannot be dry-cleaned because the cleaning solvents can make the PVC unbearably stiff.

• What are types of artificial leather?
• Poromeric imitation leather
• Sometimes referred to as poromerics, poromeric imitation leathers are a group of synthetic "breathable" leather substitutes made from a plastic coating (usually a polyurethane) on a fibrous base layer (typically a polyester).
• The term poromeric was coined by DuPont as a derivative of the terms microporous and polymeric. The first poromeric material was DuPont's ill-fated Corfam introduced in 1963 at the Chicago Shoe Show.
• Corfam was the centerpiece of the DuPont pavilion at the 1964 New York World's Fair in New York City. Its major advantages over natural leather were its durability and its high gloss finish that could be easily cleaned with a damp cloth. Its disadvantages were its stiffness which did not lessen with wearing, its relative lack of breathability, and easy confusion with non-breathable cheaper products. DuPont manufactured Corfam at its plant in Old Hickory, Tennessee, from 1964 to 1971. After spending millions of dollars marketing the product to shoe manufacturers, DuPont withdrew Corfam from the market in 1971 and sold the rights to a company in Poland.
• Corfam is still used today in some products, an example being certain types of equestrian saddle girth. Corfam shoes are still popular in uniformed professions where shiny shoes are desirable.

Koskin

• Koskin is an artificial leather material commonly found in computer laptop cases. It is commonly used in Hewlett-Packard, Targus and Belkin laptop cases, CD wallets, and other consumer goods. It is made to look and feel like authentic leather.
• In Swedish, koskinn means cow's skin (ko means cow, skinn means skin), and in Danish koskind means cow's skin, causing much confusion for consumers.

Leatherette

• Leatherette is a form of artificial leather, usually made by covering a fabric base with plastic. The fabric can be made of a natural or a synthetic fibre which is then covered with a soft PVC layer.
• Leatherette bound books and 20th century cameras are good examples of leatherette. Leatherette clothing of various kinds also exist
• A disadvantage of plastic "leatherette" is that it is not porous and does not allow air to pass through it; thus, sweat can accumulate if it is used for clothing, car seat coverings, etc. One of its primary advantages, especially in cars, is that it requires little maintenance in comparison to leather, and does not crack or fade as easily.
• During a fire, leatherette may cause serious skin damage, because it burns more vigorously than leather and can melt.
• PVC Leather Cloth Commonly known as PVC Coated fabric or Rexine or Artificial Leather is one of the largest selling products of Halol Leather Cloth Pvt (H.L.C) Limited as per Indian Standard as well as International Standards and OE specification widely used in various applications.
• The product is available as Foam Leather in various thicknesses, colours, print and embossing. Its quality, strength, and durability make it an ideal material for the Upholstery, Furniture, Automobile Seat Cover, Shoes / Sport Shoes, Luggage Auto-hoods, Belting and many other applications.

• What are the benefits of artificial leather over real leather?
• The synthetic leather industry is now on a high growth trajectory. One of the reasons for this is the high-pitched campaign against cruelty meted out to animals in the leather industry. This has resulted in growing awareness for an alternative to leather.
• The level of pollution (both air and water) created by tanneries has also led to an increase in the popularity of alternative leather.
• Besides this, a huge demand-supply gap exists in the natural leather industry. This, coupled with the high price of leather, has also been a boon in disguise for the industry. On its part, synthetic leather is cheaper and has a lower manufacturing cost.
• Earlier inferior technology was one factor holding back the growth of the artificial leather industry. However, with technological advancements, synthetic leather being produced now is much smoother, looks similar, and feels like leather. The fabric is versatile and is fast replacing leather in a number of industries.

• What is the market for artificial leather currently?
• Artificial leather looks and feels like natural leather, but is made on a fabric base rather than from animal skin. The fabric, due to its leather-like finish, acts as a substitute for leather and is fast replacing it in many industries such as footwear, upholstery, and automobiles.
• Today, the leather alternatives market in India and abroad is witnessing good growth, and the demand is expected to further intensify in the future. According to an industry leader manufacturer, "In the next few years, this industry is expected to boom, thanks to better technology, the animal cruelty issue, pollution, etc." In comparison to the demand, the current supply of synthetic leather lags far behind, especially in the domestic market. Currently, nearly nine to 10 times of what is being produced domestically is imported from China.
• Moreover, of the synthetic leather that is produced in India, only about 15 to 20 percent is exported; the rest is used for domestic consumption. This demand-supply gap coupled with the fact that synthetic leather is fast replacing natural leather from various industries is opening doors for more entrepreneurs in this sector.
• In India, the market for synthetic leather is highly unorganized; there are only a handful of players in the organized sector. At present there are 10 leading players constituting the organized market, and about 150 to 200 small or medium level players who cater to the local market." Among the major names are Mayur Uniquoters, Rishabh Velveleen, and Manish Vinyl's. Indian synthetic leather is exported to European countries and also to the US.

• What is the usage of PVC Leather Cloth in Automobile Industry?
• H.L.C manufactures vinyl for the automotive industry too. Here PVC vinyl clothing is being used as upholstery in automotive seat- covers. Automotive vinyl adds style and comfort while giving the look of leather. Mostly automotive vinyl is used in seat- covers, door covers, dashboards and many areas related to automotive parts. PVC leather cloth makes automotive vinyl of various kinds. Here many kinds of coated textile fabric, PVC vinyl clothing is manufactured for automotive vinyl purposes.
• For Automobiles / Jeep hood.
• For Automotive roof-lining, side-door trims, sun visors.
• For seat Upholstery of four wheeler, three wheeler and two wheeler.