Why YSK: The term “Genuine Leather” is a marketing term to sell the lowest quality leather possible.

When purchasing a leather product, look for full grain leather or top grain leather instead. These will provide a much higher quality cut of leather that will look and feel much better and last for much longer.

  • PreMalone@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    This really is a perfect replacement for reddit, we even have the same reposted fun facts

    • washabe@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I mean, reposting things that were on Reddit before would be a good way to get more content on here

        • Givesomefucks@reddthat.com
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          1 year ago

          Reddit does it with Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Tumblr…

          Some of the bigger communities is literally just screenshots of what people say other places.

          It would be pretty funny to see an instance that just pulls posts from subs and posts them to Lemmy. Not direct links to reddit, just copy the link/pic/video

          • Ben Hur Horse Race@lemm.ee
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            1 year ago

            fair point… yeah now that you mention it, a lot of the shit I used to see on reddit was from “curated tumbler”, " white people twitter" etc…

            I’m glad I left reddit, the api cluster fuck and associated protests (which I joined w/ my rinky dink tiny sub) came at the perfect time to give me the shove out the door I needed. I was spending 3, 4, 5 hours of my day reading the most inane bullshit.

            I’m at extremely high risk of it happening again with lemmy, but I like to think it’ll never take on the endlessly churning sewer-exit pipe amount of “content” that reddit had with its however many millions of users.

  • derf82@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Not quite. The truth is, there is no universally recognized grades of leather. But when bragging about quality, genuine leather is the lowest bar they can go (other than bonded leather, which isn’t fully leather but just a veneer over fabric.

    Full grain or top grain is generally what you want.

    https://lifehacker.com/what-genuine-leather-really-means-1850309049

    Also, some are concerned about the use of an animal product. The vast majority of leather is a byproduct of the beef industry. It is skin that would otherwise go to waste. And it is also far more environmentally friendly a material than many alternatives, which are often made of plastics.

    • Margot Robbie@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Yeah, honestly you should buy leather products based on brands than on description of “genuine” leather.

      And agree, real leather is a much better alternative to the ridiculous amount of micro-plastic synthetic leather generates, especially since it’ll last you decades if you maintain it well.

    • queermunist@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      It’s the industry recapturing some of its costs by reducing waste. That’s still supporting the industry.

      • derf82@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        We applauded Native Americans for using every part of the animal, yet when we do it today somehow it’s a bad thing.

        The skins are there rather you like the industry or not. Better to use them than throw them in a landfill.

        • queermunist@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          By your logic, why don’t we flay off the skins of all dead people and wear those too? They’re just going to waste!

          I’m opposed to the animal killing industry and all of its various outgrowths. The less money that can be made from it, the less money will be invested into the industry in the first place. If the skins end up in a landfill, that’s lost revenue that makes the industry suffer. Putting money in the pockets of these businesses just lets them reinvest. Stop trying to portray your choice to wear skin as somehow the more ethical one and preach from some imaginary moral high ground.

            • queermunist@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              Tan me hide when I’m dead, Fred
              Tan me hide when I’m dead
              So we tanned his hide when he died, Clyde
              And that’s it hangin’ on the shed!
              Altogether now!

              (actually, I unironically think human remains should be reused instead of preserved in a box lol)

          • imagoodmushroom@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            I’d genuinely prefer if my family turned my remains into a fucking backpack instead of paying thousands of dollars to put them on a cushioned box in the ground

          • Margot Robbie@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            Relax, no need to name-call. Otherwise, I’ll be forced to make a video of me badly singing “Imagine”, and nobody wants to hear that.

            • queermunist@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              Name call? Did I slip up and call someone a bloodmouth or something?

              I don’t think I called anyone any names, I just pointed out the fact that this reverse “gatcha” where people pretend like wearing leather is actually the more ethical choice is ridiculous. I have more respect for unapologetic leather wearers, at least they aren’t lying to themselves.

              • Gatsby@lemm.ee
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                1 year ago

                Hahahahahahahahaha did you just call him a bloodmouth? Are you a fuckin villager in the 1600s fuckin blood mouth

                • queermunist@lemmy.world
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                  1 year ago

                  That’s what carnists are! They eat things that bleed. Hence, bloodmouth.

                  Corpse sucker is also fun.

  • SweetSitty@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    You should also know that technically only the piece marked as genuine leather needs to actually be genuine leather. If you buy something made with multiple pieces, the rest could be made from any material so long as that one piece is genuine.

  • BigTrout75@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Can somebody explain why leather is better? It’s it the smell? The feel? Tradition? I see it in car reviews where they complain about cloth.

    • Sentiel@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      It’s breathable but works in both warm and cold weather. This makes it ideal for spring and autumn. It’s easy to clean although it’s also hard to maintain (you have to oil it and protect it against rain). It lasts for very long if you care for it unlike fabric or fake leather, so a leather jacket can be worn for decades and still look and feel great.

      • david@feddit.uk
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        1 year ago

        Surely leather is skin and skin is very definitely non porous? Secrete oils from tiny glands? Yes. Let water through? Very much nope.

        • Sentiel@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          There’s various types of leather, some of which are actually porous. I’m no expert but you can Google it.

          The point about rain protection isn’t related to the water getting through but because rain can contain chemicals and salt which can stain the leather and also make the leather brittle and vulnerable to mechanical damage, like getting cracks on it because it loses some of it’s natural elasticity.

          This is usually prevented by oiling it and putting various rain protection products on it.

    • YuzuDrink@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      My best guess (not in the community or anything) is that leather does better at being durable—especially if you treat it well and condition it regularly?—than cloth and plastic-leather alternatives, which break down. I know leather is meant to be very durable and have good “properties,” but I can’t be specific.

      • Deceptichum@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        I’ve had a leather belt for about 25 years now that I bought for like $10, wear it multiple times a week. In all those years I’ve gone through multiple other belts that haven’t lasted.

        Far as I see it, leather belts are the most economical and better for the environment than constantly manufacturing lesser lasting belts.

        • MiddleWeigh@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          It’s been designed by time. Why manufacture something that has been provided? Seems like an unnecessary step, and a large reason for much of our problems. My s.o. works leather as a hobby, and it’s really cool. All the stuff she’s made me is better than anything I’ve had before.

        • wotsit_sandwich@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          I bought a leather belt in Prague as a nice souvenir. Stil wearing it almost daily over 20 years later. I replaced the stitching but the leather is still rock solid.

    • kcdaguy@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      It is something people think they want because it is more expensive and in higher trim levels in cars. But when your car is parked in the hot sun the leather feels like it burns and in the winter is freezing to the touch. Leather also doesn’t breath so you end up sweating more and if your are not wearing long pants your leg will stick to the seat. Cloth is so much better functionally. Cloth also lasts longer than the fake leather they put in cars. Cloth won’t peel like the fake leather.

      • BubblyMango@lemmy.wtf
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        1 year ago

        Any cloth i have seen in cars absorbs my swet, and is hard to clean up afterwards, unlike leather.

    • decadentrebel@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I like how leather feels like and the unique look when it’s aged or beaten up. Works great with wallets, belts, shoes… but not so much your couch, especially when it’s hot and humid.

    • RedMarsRepublic@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Mostly people like it because it’s expensive and it makes them feel rich. It is more durable than cloth but that hardly matters for most of the things it’s used for.

      • darcy@discuss.tchncs.de
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        1 year ago

        It is very useful for furniture and car seats and things like that. Waterproof and easy to maintain without absorbing too much scents or liquids from your body.

    • Ronno@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      @BigTrout75 many people are sensitive to dust. A car with a leather interior is easier to clean. The dust cannot stick in the seats.

      • okiloki@feddit.de
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        1 year ago

        Let’s be honest here. The amount of people this applies to is miniscule.

      • david@feddit.uk
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        1 year ago

        Isn’t house dust mainly skin and leather also skin? Admittedly leather is dead skin that’s not being replaced any more, so perhaps without a process of replacement it also somehow lacks the shedding?

  • Arete@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I thought “genuine” was the middle grade, with “bonded” being the lowest. Bob’s Furniture used to market “genuine bonded leather” sofas which I found both clever and infuriating.

    • BlueDepth9279@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Bonded leather is less than 20% real leather and made from scraps and fibers of genuine leather combined with binders. It’s generally not as durable as genuine leather.

  • wvenable@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    If you think about it, it makes sense. All they are saying it’s that is actually real leather which is the least you could say about leather.

    To add to the naming fun: Corinthian Leather.

  • niktemadur@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    In one of those 70s Fat Albert episodes, I think it was Rudy who one day showed up wearing a jacket of “genuine imitation leather”. That term has stuck with me for decades.

    • lich_hegemon@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      It has its place.

      For example, leather in second hand products it’s great because it’s durable and often high quality. And, whatever you do, the animal has already been killed and paid for.

      I would also buy leather products if it’s for something that I intend to use for many years. It sort of offsets the environmental damage from buying multiple synthetic products.

      Then again, I’m not vegan.

    • mitchie151@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      In the right context, leather goods are much more durable and sustainable than synthetic alternatives. That said, leather is a co-product of the meat and dairy industry which is currently ridiculously unsustainable. Leather for leathers sake in designer goods and such is ridiculous.

      • Joe@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        You didn’t need to kill the cow to eat, you chose to kill something that didn’t want to die for the fleeting taste of it’s dead body on your tongue

    • Solo@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      Agreed. I don’t purchase leather anymore but when I did I still knew genuine leather is pretty much junk.

    • corporateHippie@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      Wonder what the people who are downvoting this are thinking. Is it not murder, or is it only a restproduct of murder?

      • hark@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        I think it’s because it’s irrelevant for someone who would be interested in leather (and this YSK). I’m sure they’re well aware of where leather comes from. I will say, though, that if cows are getting murdered for food, then they might as well use the whole animal instead of letting it go to waste.

      • unsophisticated@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        I wonder what people who upvote this are thinking, obviously the point is moot unless you are also vegan. And who upvotes someone going “meat is murder” in the comment section.

        • kakes@sh.itjust.works
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          1 year ago

          I’m not vegan, but I do personally agree that it’s selfish and inhumane to eat meat and use leather - especially on an industrial scale. I eat meat, but I don’t have any delusions about where it comes from.

          Not meaning to argue, but just to say it’s not only vegans that think about this stuff. Also, even if it was, that doesn’t mean they’re wrong or moot.

          • TheSaneWriter@vlemmy.net
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            1 year ago

            I think it’s the difference between vegan ethics and being a vegan in practice. I generally agree with vegan ethics, I think that meat and leather are generally made from murder. Perhaps a lesser version of murder than killing a human being, but murder nonetheless. However, animal products are common in both food and consumer goods and I don’t have the time or money to commit towards fully avoiding them. Like with the issue of many of our agricultural goods being the product of slavery, I believe that this is something that should moreso be curtailed by the state than any individual consumer.

            • kakes@sh.itjust.works
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              1 year ago

              This is my general philosophy. I try to be as ethical as I can, but I realize there will always be a certain level of “hypocrisy” in my actions.

      • Dfc09@lemmynsfw.com
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        1 year ago

        I like to think myself open-minded, but I’m also a meat eater. It really is just a matter of self control and convenience. I know humans eating meat in most developed countries is completely unnecessary. I know farming methods are cruel and environmentally damaging. It’s just tough to shake off the habit of craving a nice chicken breast or steak, especially since I lean towards a very high protein a diet.

        I’d go far enough to say it used to not be murder, but now we only kill animals for luxury.

  • c4@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    All I can say is that it’s still at least leather. Most things (e.x., belts) will say “manmade leather” or “manmade materials” and they are fake and break. The genuine leather belt I have has been working for 4 years without snapping.

    • Solo@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      Still better to get full grain leather. Guinie leather is to full grain leather as particle board is to solid wood.

      • FooSolo@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        So genuine leather is made of nutsacks, udders, and assholes pressed together with a veneer piece of taint stretched over it to make it look like full grain leather.