Understanding More about Leatherette

Leatherette is a form of artificial leather that is usually created by covering a fabric base with plastic. The fabric used as a base can be either a natural or synthetic fibre that is then covered with a very soft PVC layer. Some of the most popular uses for leatherette have been for book binding and covering 20th century cameras but leatherette has also been used in creating various kinds of clothing (including lingerie). It is also a more affordable alternative to leather in car interiors.

Leather vs. Leatherette

Leatherette has several advantages over leather. These include:

* It is more affordable
* It almost looks the same as natural leather
* It can be kept in perfect shape for many years
* It is easier to clean and maintain
* It is not as easy to scratch, crack or damage

There are also downsides to leatherette, however. These include:

* It doesn’t feel as good as leather
* It is not porous at all so air does not pass through it. This causes sweat to accumulate
* It can cause serious skin damage in the event of a fire, since it burns more vigorously than leather and can melt

The Uses of Leatherette

Leatherette is used in a variety of different places. Especially when it comes to car manufacturers, leatherette has become interchangeable with vinyl when discussing the fabric of a car interior. It remains an extremely popular option for car interiors mainly because the level of maintenance required is so much lower than with natural leather.

That same logic applies when it comes to home furniture, such as sofas and armchairs. Many designs created for the mass market, or reproductions of famous designs will use leatherette as opposed to leather in order to reduce the costs to something more affordable for consumers. Many times when leatherette is used as upholstery, it is hard to tell the difference without a close examination. Again, the low cost, low maintenance and long lifespan makes it a very popular option.

Leatherette has also become a popular option for footwear. Quite often, footwear companies will mix leatherette with a fabric and/or faux suede to give footwear the leather look at a fraction of the cost.




One thing can be said for sure: leatherette is an extremely popular and versatile artificial leather.  With many advantages over normal leather, it is set to remain popular in the future.