which is better PU leather or faux leather?
Faux leather material and PU material are trending these days and they are selling like hot cupcakes. With tons of cool alternatives for real leather. Be it fast fashion or upholstery, faux leather is hot everywhere.
If you are planning to buy some faux leather fashion pieces or gonna get your home furnished with some cool faux leather furniture, check out this amazing faux leather guide! You will get a greater insight into this synthetic material.
Faux leather and PU leather terms are somehow different from each other, to know the difference, hop on this article and you will get a clear understanding of what is what, not only this, we will also discuss the manufacturing methods, raw materials, durability, and its environmental impact. We will also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of PU leather over real leather and various applications of faux leather.
By the end of this article, you will have a much-needed knowledge of the advantages and disadvantages of PU leather, so that you can make better decisions when it comes to choosing faux leather.
Table of Contents
What is PU leather?
PU leather or pleather is a synthetic material that is supposed to be the alternative to real leather in clothing, footwear, and other applications as it mimics the surface finish and texture of real leather. PU or polyurethane is an artificial material similar to plastic, made out of thermoplastic or celluloid polymer and sometimes recycled plastic can also be employed.
Pu comes under the faux leather category which we will discuss later in this article. PU leather is known under other names such as pleather, leatherette, imitation leather material, and vegan leather, is made by coating a thermoplastic polymer on a cotton or polyester base, and then embossing it to create a texture similar to real leather.
Unlike real leather PU leather is 100% synthetic and does not contain any animal product so it’s vegan leather.
Vegan leather means the same as the meaning of pu leather.
One of the earliest artificial leather was press off, invented in the 19th century in Germany, widely used during the World War 2 era in place of real leather and it was made out of treated paper pulp.
PU leather was initially developed in mid mid-20th century by chemical companies like Rexine Ltd. And DuPont, PU leather was made by coating flexible polymer on cotton or polyester cloth, then embossed to resemble real leather surfaces.
Then the trend of PU in the fast fashion industry went up and up till the present day. Due to its low maintenance and water-resistant properties, it is also suitable for upholstery and automobile seats.
PU leather is falsely advertised as environmentally friendly, despite having disadvantages compared to real leather.
Types of faux leather
Faux leather is a wider term that encloses several artificial types of leather including PU, PVC leather, bonded leather, bi-cast leather, and other makeshift substitutes for real leather.
Basically, faux leather is classified into two categories, they are fully synthetic and semi-synthetic faux leather. PU leather is a fully synthetic kind of leather, hence it is vegan. On the other hand, semi-synthetic leathers such as bi-cast leather and bonded leather are created by applying PU coating on natural leather backing which is definitely not vegan.
Both types of faux leather are then embossed to create leather-like surface.
Note:- So, if you are a vegan and don’t want to end up buying a leather product, then only choose fully synthetic PU leather.
Uses of PU leather
PU leather can be used to make shoes, garments, fashion accessories, and upholstery for furniture, cars, etc.
Although it requires little to no maintenance, items made of PU leather are not as durable as compared to real leather especially shoes and automobile seats which are subject to a lot of wear and tear. PU leather also lacks the elasticity of the patina of real leather.
Advantages of PU leather
1. Price and affordability- PU leather is much cheaper than real leather which makes it a more affordable option.
2. Maintenance- PU leather requires little to no maintenance as compared to real leather.
3. Water resistant- Synthetic leather is very much resistant to water and moisture.
4. Lightweight- Artificial leather is usually lighter as compared to real leather which makes it a good choice for making comfortable leather cloths.
5. 100% vegan- PU and other synthetic leathers are kind of a boon for people following veganism.
6. Easier to store- PU leather is quite easy to store as it does not require any special arrangements as real leather.
7. Easier to work with- Synthetic leather is more flexible and has less stiffness as compared to real leather, which makes it easier to handle while working with it.
8. Consistent quality- As it is a synthetic material, it can be given a desirable texture that is consistent throughout the fabric, unlike real leather.
9. Breathable-PU leather is slightly more breathable as compared with PVC leather.
Disadvantages PU leather
Despite having so many advantages over real leather, Synthetic leather poses some serious disadvantages and can never compete with real leather if we consider them, few of them are listed below.
1. Less durable- Way less durable than real leather, not nearly as strong as Genuine grain leather.
2. Non-biodegradable- Usually most synthetic leathers are made using petrochemicals that are not biodegradable and take much longer to decompose, unlike real leather.
3. Chemical and plastic smell- As synthetic materials are used they consist of a smell that can make some people really uncomfortable.
4. Does not age well- PU Doesn’t develop a patina like real leather does over time.
5. Non-porous and less-breathable- Not as breathable as real leather so, it will not provide the comfort of real leather while wearing.
6. limited repair options- If damaged PU leather is very difficult or usually impossible to repair it will lead to frequent replacement.
7. Not as luxurious as real leather- PU leather lacks the natural and luxurious feel of animal hide, PU leather is very cheap as compared to real leather. Also, the synthetic material will lose its value and quality over time, unlike real leather.
What is faux leather?
As discussed earlier in this article faux leather is a broad term used to represent all artificial or man-made leather. Term faux leather covers all unnatural leathers or imitation leather materials.
PU vs faux leather-
The difference between PU leather and faux leather is that pure PU leather is always fully synthetic and vegan while faux leather can or cannot be fully synthetic or vegan as it includes all imitation leathers like PU, PVC, Bi-cast, bonded, Rexine, and other so-called alternatives to real leather.
What is PVC leather?
PVC leather is a kind of synthetic leather made with Polyvinyl chloride and polyester backing. It is sometimes called vinyl leather. PVC leather is created by coating the fabric base with PVC resin, and then embossing it with the desired pattern.
PU vs PVC leather
PU or polyurethane and PVC leather are very much as PU leather is more flexible and smooth as compared to PVC leather, while PVC leather can provide better durability due to PVC coating but it lacks flexibility. Both PU and PVC plastic leather material are fully synthetic materials. Hence, vegan.
What is Bonded leather?
Bonded leather is a kind of semi-synthetic leather created from leather pulp just like paper. Scraps of leather are shredded and mixed with adhesive like latex binder. This mixture is then applied to a paper or cloth backing in the form of a thin layer which is later embossed with the leather-like texture.
PU vs Bonded leather
Fully synthetic material PU leather is very much different from bonded leather. Bonded leather consists of animal products such as shredded leather and it is not suitable for vegans customers. Bonded leather is also referred to as genuine leather or reconstituted leather as it contains some parts of real leather but is not nearly as durable as real leather.
What is Bicast leather?
Bicast leather is also a kind of semi-synthetic leather that is created by coating split leather pieces with Polyurethane or PVC.
PU vs Bicast leather
Pu and Bicast leather are totally different kinds of leather as PU leather is fully synthetic and on the other hand, Bicast leather is partially animal sourced, hence, semi-synthetic. Bicast leather is also not suitable for people practicing veganism. Bicast leather appears more naturally as compared to PU leather but PU leather is slightly more durable than bicast leather.
What is Split leather?
The leftover part of the hide after the full grain and top grain are separated is known as split grain, it is called drop split. In thicker hides the drop split can further split into middle split and flesh split. Split grain leather is not even nearly as strong and durable as full grain and top grain leather.
PU vs Split leather
PU and split leather are also totally different as we know already that PU leather is made by coating a polymer layer on fabric on the other hand split leather is a fleshy part of the animal skin just below the grain layer, hence, split leather is genuine leather. Split leather is brushed to get the finer surfaced leather called suede. Leather split can be more durable than any other type of artificial leather, depending on which layer it is taken from. Splits can also be coated with synthetic material to look like real leather.
Conclusion-
In the above-discussed types of faux leather, only fully synthetic leathers are the most preferred ones for vegans. However, it’s totally up to you and the project you are working on.
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