More recently, those who wanted to acquire a stylish leather jacket could choose from only two options - genuine leather or its substitute, which for short is called leatherette. Products made of genuine leather are distinguished by their excellent appearance and excellent quality characteristics, but they are quite expensive. Leatherette jackets are much cheaper, but their appearance often leaves much to be desired, and they wear out very quickly.
Several years ago, another alternative to natural leather appeared - an innovative material called "eco-leather". Read about what it is and about the features of eco-leather jackets in this article.
Eco-leather, despite the name, has a very weak relationship to natural leather. This is a synthetic material, which manufacturers have tried to give the qualities of real leather: pleasant to the touch, warm surface, high degree of thermal conductivity and wear resistance.
Eco-leather is a two-layer material consisting of a textile base and a polyurethane film. Thanks to a special production technology, eco-leather has a porous structure, so the body can breathe in clothes made of this material (which cannot be said about things made of leatherette).
The original material can be embossed with patterns imitating the pattern of natural leather, therefore, at first glance, eco-leather products are difficult to distinguish from real leather items.
How is eco-leather different from leatherette?
Just like leatherette, eco-leather is a synthetic material. But, if leatherette is 100% polyvinyl chloride, then eco-leather contains natural components: cotton, cellulose, or even a thin layer of real leather, taken as a basis.
Outwardly, to the touch and in some quality characteristics, eco-leather is more like real leather than leatherette. The only thing both materials have in common is complete waterproofness and good elasticity.
Pros
Eco-leather jackets have their advantages - both over real leather goods and over leatherette items. The list of the main advantages of jackets made of this material can include the following items:
- wide range of models;
- a large selection of colors;
- low price;
- ease of cut and sewing;
- external resemblance to natural leather;
- the ability to pass air;
- waterproofness;
- hypoallergenic properties;
- pleasant tactile sensations.
In addition, for conservationists, the fact that raw materials of animal origin are usually not used in the production of eco-leather is of great importance.
Cons
However, like any other synthetic material, eco-leather also has disadvantages. The most significant negative qualities of eco-leather include:
- less, in comparison with natural leather, durability;
- the need to follow the basic rules of care;
- low hygroscopicity - such clothes absorb moisture worse than things made of real leather.
As you can see, the disadvantages of eco-leather jackets are much less than the advantages.
Models
Eco-leather is a material that lends itself very well to processing, therefore in the assortment of stores there is a wide selection of eco-leather jackets. Consider a few of the most interesting styles of fashionable jackets made from this material:
- biker jacket - a rocker-style jacket with asymmetrical zipper and a lot of metal elements;
- pilot - a short, wide jacket with elastic bands on the hem and on the cuffs, has a large collar and patch pockets;
- jacket - a shortened, slightly fitted jacket, similar to a jacket, usually has a turn-down collar and cut-in pockets;
- motorcycle jacket - a jacket of a semi-tight cut, designed for bikers, it has special elements that increase the protection of the most vulnerable places.
Warm jackets for the winter
Eco-leather retains heat well and tolerates sub-zero temperatures, so it is quite a suitable material for sewing winter jackets. But by itself, it is not capable of warming up in frost, therefore, winter models of such jackets usually have a thick insulated lining or filler. Faux fur, synthetic winterizer, down, feathers and other materials with high heat-insulating properties are used as insulation for winter clothing made of eco-leather.
Warm eco-leather jackets are usually longer than demi-season models. They may have a hood or fur collar; sleeves or sides of jackets can be trimmed with natural or artificial fur.
Demi jackets
Autumn and spring models of eco-leather jackets are a lightweight version of outerwear. They usually have a very thin lining and can be very short, covering only part of the back.
The choice of demi-season models, as a rule, is very diverse. On the shop windows and on the pages of fashion catalogs, both light jackets-jackets and parkas made of eco-leather are presented, designed to protect from bad weather.
Jackets designed for the off-season can combine several different materials - for example, on sale you can find models with inserts made of denim, thick knitwear, raincoat fabric, etc.
Popular colors
Eco-leather lends itself well to dyeing, so the choice of colors for jackets made of eco-leather is incredibly large. Manufacturers have long learned to give artificial materials the shades characteristic of natural raw materials. You can easily pick up a jacket with imitation of snakeskin, buffalo or ordinary pigskin.
