Being my second post on this blog, today I thought it would be a good idea to start with the basics: Leather Jackets Manufacturing. This post will -hopefully- help you understand the process behind building a jacket, empowering you to make a good choice should you decide to buy one for yourself.
So, without further introduction… here we go!
Leather Jacket Materials
There are different materials, each with its own pro’s and con’s. Some materials are lighter, others are cheaper and so on. Just to name a few:
- Antelope
- Buckskin
- Lambskin
- Sheepskin
- Cowhide
- Kangaroo
The most usual material to manufacture a leather jacket is -obviously- cowhide for its good relation between price, thoughtness and quality. The best material for jackets is -in my opinion- Kangaroo, because it’s really light compared to cowhide and as much as though. Keep in mind that kangaroo-leather jackets are bit more pricey as well, since there’s not as much supply as for other leathers, though this is starting to change with a growing demand for this material.
Leather Jacket Manufacturing
Now I don’t plan to explain the whole process here since it could be pretty boring, but here’s a brief overview of the manufacturing process:
- The jacket is designed, usually with the aid of computer software
- Leather is cut using automated cutting machines, sometimes, this is made manually
- The leather is assembled and sewed
- The jacket’s shape is molded using heat and pressure
After this process, jackets are tested based on their planned use, ie: Motorcycle jackets, cowboy jackets, fashion jackets and so on. This ensures the quality of the product and is a very important procedure.
Conclusion
Making a leather jacket is not a simple process, that’s why you should always try to choose a good brand; otherwise you risk buying a poor quality jacket that won’t last very long.
Best Leather for a Jacket: Kangaroo
Pro’s: Though, Lightweight
Con’s: Expensive
Good Leather for a Jacket: Cowhide
Pro’s: Though, Cheaper
Con’s: Heavy
Bad Leather for a Jacket: Antelope (Yes, I know it’s sold as “premium”)
Pro’s: Though
Con’s: Heavy, Expensive
So there ya’ go! I hope that you’ll be able to make a good choice next time you want to buy a cheap leather jacket. In the following posts, I’ll give you more tips for buying your first leather jacket, finding the best deals online and more useful stuff.
Thank you for reading!
For more information on the types of leather, you may want to visit this wikipedia entry.
Have something to say?
If you have more tips or experiences to share with the rest of us, please go ahead and leave a comment! I look forward to hearing from ya’.
