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.

  • Nora@sh.itjust.works
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    2 years ago

    Don’t buy leather. Cows are sentient beings with their own subjective experience. Actions that inflict unnecessary harm upon others should be reconsidered.

    If you downvote, you must have a justification for buying leather and I’d love to hear it.

  • derf82@lemmy.world
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    2 years 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.

  • niktemadur@kbin.social
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    2 years 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.

  • Moops@lemmy.world
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    2 years ago

    It seems so odd too because if I didn’t know better, I’d assume “Full or Top Grain” was lower quality than “Genuine Leather” just by how the phrases sound.

      • unsophisticated@kbin.social
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        2 years 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.

    • mitchie151@kbin.social
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      2 years 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.

  • c4@kbin.social
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    2 years 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.