Helpful Cloth Guide
There will be hardly any person who does not love dressing up. Thankfully, there are numerous products and clothing options available to nail everyone’s look these days. However, what if you are getting the look by killing animals? Note that there are many clothing items and fabrics that are made out of animal skin, especially leather. To address this issue, textile manufacturers introduced the concept of vegan leather or faux leather.
Vegan Leather
Vegan leather is fake leather that is not made of animal skin and hence, will be an ideal choice for all the people who believe in ethical values. Furthermore, there is a vast range of materials that can be used to make faux leather and its quality and expense will vary based on the raw materials used. The commonly used raw materials to make vegan leather are polyurethane and polyvinyl chloride. Since this fabric is made using plastic, vegan leather is also known as pleather.
However, the vegan leather manufacturing process has raised many concerns since the toxins in these plastic materials can be harmful to the environment and human beings. Hence, most people might be confused about whether to choose faux or genuine leather. To figure this out, it is better to do a comparison between both these options.
The Smell of Faux Leather
Vegan leather is usually made of plastic materials and hence, it has a strange and sometimes, the unpleasing smell of chemicals. People usually describe this smell as fishy and it is extremely hard to get rid of it, especially without ruining the texture of the material. Additionally, the toxins outgassed by PVC can sometimes result in a nasty smell. This can be harmful for the users. When it comes to genuine leather, it smells slightly musty and natural.
The Look
You can find faux leather in a wide range of qualities and forms depending on the materials used, as mentioned earlier. As a result, some fabrics will be hard to distinguish from real leather whereas, some might look artificial. However, the main difference between genuine and faux leather is that the former forms a patina as it ages. Plus, the latter will be comparatively less breathable since the surface pores are made artificially in this case. Even though it is also possible to make vegan leather from eco-friendly raw materials as well such as pineapple leaves, kelp, cork, etc., it is not so common.
Which is a Better Choice?
While vegan leather is extremely thinner and light-weight making it a suitable choice for fashion when compared to genuine leather, it is less durable. Note that real leather lasts for decades while faux leather usually lasts for a couple of years. Additionally, vegan leather tends to be uncomfortable when worn for longer periods. When it comes to the price, faux leather is way affordable than its genuine counterparts. Most importantly, the former is animal-friendly.
