Sometimes, the price doesn’t reflect what’s best for you. Often, people are under the misconception that purchasing leather from high-end brands equals the best leathercrafting experience. But that couldn’t be further from the truth, could it? 

Through this article, we’ll address the one query that all leathercrafting enthusiasts have, “Where can I purchase the best leather to practice my leathercrafting?”

Leathercrafting enthusiasts who’ve newly established their entrepreneurial leather business often feel that the best way to increase profitability is by crafting expensive leather as a base material. But this isn’t the case. Your price must be reflective of the intricacy of craftsmanship involved. 

To help you achieve this, we at Artisans, have put together some insights into the most workable leathers. This will elevate your leathercrafting experience and help you stay up to date with the fashion trends.

Also Read: Looking Into The Future Of The Leather Industry

Does Price Equal Quality? 

Yes. If you’re an inexperienced buyer and don’t have much expertise in leathercrafting, then yes, price and quality go hand-in-hand. In most cases, an inexpensive leather product is due to negligence in ensuring the quality of stitching and so forth. 

 

However, if you’ve been into leathercrafting for a while, you do understand the nuances in base leathers. Lower prices don’t necessarily translate into lower quality. If you’re looking to increase your leather business’s profitability, you may as well want to look into these factors before blindly going for expensive base leathers.

Demand Drives Leather Prices Up

Have you ever spared a thought as to why branded leather is so expensive? The demand for these leather products drives the prices skywards, and people start to believe that since everybody else is buying it, it ought to be good. Therefore, it’s essential to understand whether or not the demand is justified or merely a herd mentality. Here are a few pointers we urge you to consider before purchasing your leather materials.

• Smell- If you get a whiff of plastic or some chemicals, it’s likely to be fake leather. 

 

• Edges- Another common tell-tale sign in identifying genuine leather is it’s edges. If the edges are blue, it means that the leather is not tanned correctly. Additionally, you may notice a layer of paint on the edges to hide these blemishes. Stay away from such leather products. 

 

• Stitching And Finish-  A good leather quality product is synonymous with excellent stitching and finishing. Flaws in stitching or the external appearance or even the lining of a product indicate inferior quality.

 

• Look And Feel-  The texture of the leather also helps to distinguish genuine leather from fake. If the leather is stiff and plasticky or has blemishes in its make, it’s likely to be machine-made and out of cheap leather. 

Where to Buy Leather for Crafts? 

So now you know how to identify good leather for crafting purposes, let’s look at where you can procure it from. 

E-commerce sites like Amazon provide an excellent platform for you to browse your leather requirements. 

 

Vendors like Jeereal, Seek4comfortable and Spanish Leather offer a comprehensive collection of base leathers and finished products. Authenticity and unparalleled craftsmanship are what they pride themselves on, which is why you can be assured of excellent quality while purchasing these. 

With years of experience in the industry and having onboard professional leather craftsmen, Artisans is a one-stop guide for all leathercrafting enthusiasts in the UK. From DIY leather bracelets to DIY leather bags, we provide wholesome toolkits that will help you indulge in projects to make with leather scraps. We offer a one-stop solution to all your craft-related queries.

Also Read: List Of Tools You Need To Start Your LeatherCraft Hobby

Leather: A Welcome To All! 

The best thing about leathercrafting is that anyone can indulge in it. Get yourself some base leather and some essential stitching tools, and you’re good to go. It’s more of an experiential journey than a hobby. This skilful art requires not only patience and concentration but also dexterous nimble fingers. With good practice, your mind works in unison with your hands to form a magisterial sense of rhythm and create fashionable leather products.

Wondering how to start your leathercrafting journey? We have you covered. At Artisans, we’ve put together a wholesome database of creative resources of articles, blogs, stories, guides, how-tos, and DIY projects to help you get started.  

Also Read: 4 Ways To Immediately Get Started On Leatherworking

Major Leather Producing Countries 

As aspiring leathercrafting entrepreneurs, you need to know where your target audience lies and the major manufacturers and leather importers. 

Italy- It is the largest leather producer in Europe, with about 3,819.8 million USD amounting to exports during 2019.  

South Korea- Accounting for 4.8% of the total global production of leather, South Korea accounted for 509.5 million USD in export during 2019. 

Brazil- The second-largest leather producing country globally, Brazil has over 2.4 billion sq. ft of leather per annum. It accounted for nearly 9.5% of the total share of global leather production in 2019.  

India- Accounting for 6.4% of leather’s total global production, India is one of the fastest-growing producers and leather exporters. It’s one of the world’s topmost heavy-leather producers, mainly procured from bovine animals. 

China- Representing over 25% of annual global leather production and exports amounting to over 900 million USD in 2019, China is the largest leather producer globally. Its leather industry is renowned for producing heavy skin used for manufacturing belts, straps and soles.

Russia- With over 7% of the total global leather production in 2019, Russia is among the world’s top 3 leather producing countries. On average, it has 1652 million sq. ft of leather annually.

USA- Accounting for 3% of the total global production of leather, the USA is estimated to produce on average 719 million sq. ft of leather annually. 

Mexico- With 316.9 million USD amounted in exports in 2019, Mexico accounts for 2.7% of the total global leather production. 

So you see, knowing where to look and what to look for is the biggest challenge when it comes to leathercrafting.

However, if you keep these tell-tale signs in mind, you’ll easily be able to identify genuine leather when you come across it. Despite this read, if you’ve any doubts as to what is the best leather for your entrepreneurial ventures, we’re there for you. 

We provide you with all the leathercrafting tools and resources you need to become a seasoned leather craftsman. 

Get hold of our leathercrafting resources and embark on your leather journey. Bon, voyage!

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