Meet Your Posher

Leather 101 Full grain -- Full Grain Leather is the top layer of the hide. Full-grain leather hasn't been sanded or buffed, which means it retains its natural markings and personality. This piece of leather is praised for its high durability. Because of its natural production process, this leather will also slightly change colors with continued use. Full-grain leather is most often found in saddlery, footwear, and upholstery. Top grain -- Thinner and more workable than full-grain leather, top-grain leather is sanded to remove any imperfections. The end result is a more even look and feel, though artisans may choose to imprint the leather with a more consistent pebbled pattern. Top-grain leather is still considered a high-end leather. It is used in many consumer products including wrist watches, handbags, wallets, book casings, and shoes. Split leather -- The bottom part of the leather, the part that is split off from the grain at the grain/corium junction. Many people refer to this bottom layer of leather as “Genuine Leather”, however, the term isn’t used consistently and is also used to mean real leather as opposed to manmade faux leathers. More terms you may see: split leather, corrected leather, embossed leather, coated leather, Suede, Napa leather and more. Occasionally a polymer coating is applied and embossed to mimic a grain leather; however these leathers are not nearly as strong or durable. This is sometimes referred to as a finished split.