Leather is a natural material used for creating products like furniture, accessories, and most importantly – jackets.
When it comes to leather jackets, the market has adopted the habit of selling artificial pieces as real leather and it is difficult to identify if it’s genuine or artificial. You can check the difference between PU and Real Leather.
Don’t worry, there are many ways how to tell if the leather is real or not from faux leather by which you can easily recognize real leather – here are 9 things that you need to check before buying.
Differences Between Real and Fake Leather Jackets
Below you can check some of the major differences between a real and a fake leather jacket. These points are crucial for someone trying to purchase a jacket. Go through them carefully if you want to invest in a good quality genuine leather jacket.
| Feature | Jacket Made From Real Leather | Jacket Made From Fake Leather |
| Material | Genuine animal hide | Artificially made plastic or polyurethane |
| Durability | Long-lasting and durable with proper care | Less durable and may show signs of wear over time |
| Texture | Natural grain pattern and unique texture | Uniform texture with no natural variations |
| Breathability | More breathable than synthetic materials | Less breathable than real leather |
| Price | More expensive than fake leather | Less expensive than real leather |
| Sustainability | Can be eco-friendly, if made from responsibly sourced leather | May not be eco-friendly if made from synthetic materials |
Let’s go through some ways you can test out a jacket to check if it is real leather or fake. We will go through some tests and experiments you can carry out.
1. Check price tag:
The biggest difference between genuine and artificial is the price. A real leather jacket costs 2x more than a synthetic leather jacket.
If you find it anywhere at a cheap price then it will be definitely made up of synthetic leather. And there are many tests you can do on the spot to identify the real or faux.
2. Touch and feel:
Good quality real leather always gives a slightly smooth and warm feeling. If you feel that it is so smooth and gives a plastic feel then it will be faux leather.
If you want to compare both of them then go to only reputable garment stores because they have a wide variety of both real leather and synthetic leather so, you can easily compare both.
Also read, “How long will a leather jacket last?”
3. Check texture pattern:
Faux leather is chemically synthesized and made in a machine that’s it comes with an asymmetrical texture pattern. On the other hand, real leather has a unique and uneven texture pattern with variations in a single piece.
A genuine leather jacket for women would look distressed and full of grains because it is made of natural products. Always check the pattern properly before. It makes you look badass.
4. Smell the Leather:
The smell is a good indicator to recognize the leather. Artificial leather smells like chemicals or plastic while real leather smells natural and organic.
Most people love jackets made of real leather because of their attractive smell and it is addictive. Once you smell real leather then you can easily recognize the smell for a lifetime because it is unique.
5. Water absorbance test:
Real leather has its own uniqueness to absorb water due to the presence of pores. Dark patches will be visible where moisture is present until water evaporates. Just put 1-2 drops of water on the surface of the leather, if it absorbs then it means it’s real.
If water drops remain at the surface then it is definitely synthetic leather. Off it looks impossible to test a new leather jacket in the store. So, ask the stores if maybe they will have an extra piece for these types of quality tests.
6. Check edges:
If you ever use any real leather product then you can easily recognize genuine leather. They have always rough roundness and coarse edges like natural but the Faux or synthetic leather edges look smooth and perfect.
Some manufacturers try to make edges smooth but the real leather is still identifiable.
7. Fire test:
This test is sensitive that’s why only try it if you own the product at home. Pick up the edge of the leather and try to close it with fire. If you notice a burning plastic smell then it is 100% faux leather and if it is not, then it’s natural.
I would suggest you go with other tests instead of this one, It is just for knowledge not recommended for ordinary people.
8. Bend comparison:
When you bend real leather it shows the variation in color and in pores while on the other hand, faux leather has no more elasticity than real leather. It is more regular and wrinkles easily.
Faux Leather stretches and can break while real leather will never break or it stretches.
9. Weight check:
Another easy method to identify whether the leather is real or not is its weight. Weight is the biggest difference between a real leather jacket and a synthetic leather jacket.
Real leather such as lambskin and cowhide is heavier than synthetic leather. Also, real leather will always last longer than synthetic one.
Conclusion:
These are the simple and easy tricks from which you can easily identify real or fake leather. In short, real leather is durable and expensive. A genuine leather jacket is warm and comfortable but a synthetic leather jacket looks good only in appearance and has a low price. Real leather is a one-time investment and lifetime use.
Check out our best-selling leather jacket collection here.
