Types of Leather for Crafting

Leather is a wonderful material for creating truly exclusive items. However, before diving into the creative process, you need to know exactly which type of leather is best suited for a particular type of craft.

Raw material is usually divided into 2 large groups – smooth and napped leather.

Smooth leather includes the following types:

- Nappa – smooth and shiny, easy to care for, which is why it is used to make almost everything, from belts and wallets to footwear.

- Aniline – has a matte surface without a protective lacquer layer; it gets wet and dirty easily.

- Semi-aniline – a middle ground between the first two leather options.

Napped leather includes:

- Velour – can be not only delicate and thin but also very dense and stiff when folded.

- Suede/Nubuck – usually a soft material with a characteristic napped "fuzz".

- Nappalan – an extremely thin, dyed velour used for making shirts, dresses, and trousers.

In addition to smooth and napped, one can also distinguish embossed leather – the texture on its surface is created with special stamps, and it is quite difficult to distinguish natural embossing (ostrich or crocodile, for example) from artificial.

Fish leather can also be classified as embossed – this is a rare specimen that you definitely won't find on a store shelf. The raw material for it is usually shark, sturgeon, or stingray skin.

Patent and metallic leather – these are covered with a mirror lacquer or metallic coating/film to give the material luster and greater practicality.

I will add that I personally love suede and velour for their stunning tactile quality, but for practical reasons, I more often choose smooth leather. If someone were to invent an eco-friendly option that is just as good as natural leather but without the difficult maintenance, I would be overjoyed 🤩