Leather quality - who's best?

[arby2001]

Hello, like many people here, I appreciate high quality leather products. However, I am not a leather expert.

To ordinary folks, like my girlfriend, quality leather goods are thought to come from brands like LV, chanel and gucci. Maybe those more in the know will mention bottega and hermes, etc.

However, I'm not a believer. Are these brands classified as "artisan" despite being mass marketed? They claim that their products are made by craftsmen (must be a horde of them), but who are these people really?

I told her, and anyone else I know interested in leather, that the best products come from users of the highest grades of guidi and horween leathers. M.A.+, CCP, Sartoria and so on, which is why I purchase from these "no-name brands" when I simply want the best.

By exceptional quality I don't really mean "virtually indestructible", but rather finest quality materials coupled with the best craftsmanship. Something like these horween shell cordovan derbies.



Can anyone with lots of experience in this field shed some light on the difference between the mainstream brands and our kind of designers?

edit: Ahh...I don't know why my topic has an angry face...lol

[Dane]

http://www.stylezeitgeist.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6218

Anyway, it's Guidi.

[arby2001]

well that thread seems to have descended into an animal rights thread sooo....

[Dane]

well that thread seems to have descended into an animal rights thread sooo....

every thread here has turned into an animal rights thread.

to answer your general question, every brand has good and bad leathers, so there isn't much to say. Guidi is fairly consistent, so the brands that use their leathers are as well, but other than that, it's a crap shoot.

[KM80]

well that thread seems to have descended into an animal rights thread sooo....

Actually it kind of started as an animal rights thread.

[sinnedk]

http://www.stylezeitgeist.com/forums...ead.php?t=6218

Anyway, it's Guidi.

i;ve heard that before, lots of big designers use guidi

[michael_kard]

The quality of Bottega Veneta leather accessories is the best I've encountered so far. But their approach to finishes and textures is very classic, and this is not always appreciated.

As far as garments are concerned, my favorite would be Ann. I've had three Ann leather jackets over the years, and their quality is out of this world, and it really does look better through wear. All of them were lamb.

Givenchy leathers used to be good too (Yiapanis-early Tisci era), but nowadays they're crap.

I also really like M.A+'s bison. Its texture and grains are gorgeous.

[michael_kard]

Also, forgot to mention Rick's neoprene-bonded blistered leather. I NEED a jacket in that material.

[Fuuma]

Hello, like many people here, I appreciate high quality leather products. However, I am not a leather expert.

To ordinary folks, like my girlfriend, quality leather goods are thought to come from brands like LV, chanel and gucci. Maybe those more in the know will mention bottega and hermes, etc.

However, I'm not a believer. Are these brands classified as "artisan" despite being mass marketed? They claim that their products are made by craftsmen (must be a horde of them), but who are these people really?

I told her, and anyone else I know interested in leather, that the best products come from users of the highest grades of guidi and horween leathers. M.A.+, CCP, Sartoria and so on, which is why I purchase from these "no-name brands" when I simply want the best.

By exceptional quality I don't really mean "virtually indestructible", but rather finest quality materials coupled with the best craftsmanship. Something like these horween shell cordovan derbies.



Can anyone with lots of experience in this field shed some light on the difference between the mainstream brands and our kind of designers?

edit: Ahh...I don't know why my topic has an angry face...lol

You're wrong, Hermès has the best choice of hides, the best craftsmen and the most time/care put into production + they own the factories who product their pieces and are about the only ones who do (well with John Lobb Paris but they belong to Hermès now). Bottega and LV high-end lines/offerings are also in another league than the so-called "artisan brand". I certainly hope you buy for aesthetics and connotations not quality, otherwise just get a Séraphin leather jacket and be done with it.

ps: "artisan brands" is a misnomer, they make in factories like everyone else. Oh and Guidi is the best in a certain categories, brands like Corthay, Hermès or whatever don't need Guidi to get the top quality hides they require.

[cjbreed]

^^haha i was waiting for you to come in and say that. as much as one may want to deny it, what u said up there is the truth.

[rider]

.... and our kind of designers?

this remark seems so short-sighted. i dont think you meant it to be.

agree with fuuma, Hermès is not to be downplayed, there is a reason that their reputation is known among horse people for craftsmanship and durability. the stitching is always tight and even, the leathers are tanned to perfection at every price point (they often use baby calf and bison), and it never fades. i dont have the field experience that quite a few here do, but i can vouch for the brand as a consumer that has used their equipment and seen a lot of leather over the years.

from what ive seen m.a+ is in the same pool, especially the footwear.

bison anything is good, always my favorite... even ricks bison boots (if his factory could only learn to stitch a straight line)

also for quality leather check out vogel, but i doubt they are your style, its more traditional.

[arby2001]

to be frank, i buy for practical use first. of course quality is important to me, but fit and looks are equally important. and that said hermes jackets don't really fit me all that well.

but thanks for your insight anyway!

[gavagai]

"You're wrong, Hermès has the best choice of hides, the best craftsmen and the most time/care put into production"

[modalsaliency]

Yeah, it's blown off by some people as being overpriced French chic, but Hermes is probably the best I've encountered. A friend owns a jacket by them that would get him laughed out of SZ, but the hide is better than anything I've seen out of Guidi and the stitching than anything out of Julius.

[nicelynice]

Isamu Katamaya Backlash and some Attachment leathers use something called "german calf," a thick, tough, vegetable-dyed, kind of oily hide for their products. From what I've handled, I've been very impressed the quality. Any idea where this leather is coming from?