/fa/ - Fashion

Leather is wack, avoid it.

>>14254183
Faggot

>>14254136
Some are overrated while others are definitely worth it due to increased durability. Belts are probably the best to get in exotics and fairly easy to style. The elephant belt I have is about 10 yrs old. As far as shoes go I only have Shell Cordovan if you consider that exotic. Alligator is a little flashy for my taste. I think something in seal skin or legit Russian Reindeer would be easier to style.

>>14254136
Alligator and crocodile looks really cool, but at the same time the only reason I you wear it is to show off.
Ostrich is something I could never get into. It's too out there. Snake looks like shit

>>14254136
Snake leather looks tacky

>>14254980
that looks like lizard, not snake

>>14254136
Never. Calf leather, or for extravagant (but non-breathable) purpose, shell cordovan.

>>14255161
Pussy

>>14254136
What about regular leather with crocodile pattern?

I want to cop some brown shoes for business casual wardrobe and also to pair with navy suit. My only dress shoes are black wholecut oxfords and I want something less formal. But is this too much and should I go for something safer?

>>14255354

Too much. Dark brown is already less formal than black. Crocodile brownies are hillbilly territory, so to speak.

>>14255302

Haven't you been taught in school on how to dress appropriately?

Russian calf is the only leather I'd go well with that isn't calf.
Everything else looks really tacky

>>14255777
I realize how it sounds to say Russian calf isn't calf. Russian calf is made from reindeer, not cow.

>>14254136
From personal experience, it’s best to pair them with something understated, in order to allow the piece in question to do the talking. Crocodile shoes with a crocodile jacket just seems overkill.

Oh my god why is everyone here such a fucking neurotic just wear whatever you want bitch

>>14255785
Russian calf is calf made to look like Russian Reindeer. George Cleverly is the only shoemaker that does runs in actual Russian Reindeer.

>>14255833
Interesting, I didn't know that.
I know Saint Crispin's does Russian calf for their bespoke offerings. Crockett and Jones does, too on a few main line models but theirs are ugly.

>>14254136
A bit immoral but it still looks nice. Snake looks shit though

>>14254136
Full western SLP

>>14255935

I made these

>>14256060
these are really nice

>>14254136
Leatherworker chiming in here. Not my main job but I have a side business where I make leather goods & high quality bdsm gear. Ask away for leather info.

My personal opinions:
Black exotic leather is nearly always the best choice as it's polarizing to begin with, and focuses primarily on the texture of the leather

In general, you should be a very confident person to wear exotic items as they're morally polarizing and high visibility

Deerskin isn't quite exotic but super underrated; very high tensile strength, flexible and great texture

Crocodile/Alligator are the best and most robust "luxury" choice imo, the scales are awesome. Gator hides take dye more evenly and are a bit smoother, while crocodile hides are typically a bit more textured visually and physically.

Snake is overrated usually; it's thin, weak and there are better textures out there. I like >>14255935 these boots for the coloring but they'd be almost impossible to pull off if you're not a cowboy slp model

>>14256269

Have you ever worked with Cordovan Shell? How do you like it? Will you provide /fa/ with your manufactured items?

>>14256269
Great contributions anon!

If you'd be willing to lend your expertise, I have a question actually:

I recently copped a puffer-jacket in beige suede, real nice, but since it seems like such a delicate material I'm almost afraid to even wear it for anything more than walks in the city.

I own a suede-brush for cleaning, but it just seems so thin and fragile compared to say suede-shoes.

Any experience with durability, activities to avoid or just advice on suede in general.

Thanks!

>>14256333

Not the leatherworker, but I'd recommend this product:

https://bootblack-shop.com/Produkt/suede-mist-feuchtigkeitslotion-fuer-veloursleder/

It's a recent development in suede leather care and the first of its kind. Big hype. Inventor is the Japanese company Columbus / BootBlack. Link is a German / European reseller. I can generally recommend their products for the best possible care (I've been through lots and lots of products in my lifetime).

>>14256194
Thanks

>>14256307
Shell cordovan is very nice and patinas beautifully over time. Most people know only Horween's shell; it isn't the only shell in the world but it is definitely among the best and for sure the most well known. Pretty much only downside to shell cordovan is that it isn't very breathable, but that's fine. Horween's chromexcel also patinas beautifully over time.

Although I'd love to provide /fa/ with my stuff, anonymity is a bit of a concern for me right now so I'll have to wait. I definitely want to give back to the community as soon and as much as I can though for all the years i've spent on the chans.

>>14256333
Contrary to popular belief, suede is actually almost as strong as full/top grain leather as long as you don't scratch or tear it majorly. Liquids and stains in general will be more of an issue compared to regular leathers but you shouldn't wear either when it's too wet outside anyway.

Suede will get a little more visually scuffed up but honestly that's a plus to me; leather in general is meant to be lived in as much as possible and looks great with wear. Most dirt comes out with a suede brush and a little love as well.

So really, just try not to soak or stain your jacket and you'll be fine! If you stain it or it smells, make sure you or your dry cleaner takes it to a leather specialist to clean as it's easy to fuck it up.

Good choice on the beige colour, and enjoy your jacket!

>>14256362
This looks pretty sweet. Will definitely check it out.

>>14256060
>>14256365
Anon, I....

>>14256725
Clarifying on the shell cordovan breathability: Pretty much the only time this is an issue is for old men who wear shell shoes for 10 hours wearing a full suit in a sweaty ass office (sadly this is the case a lot of the time which is why i clarify), or if you have foot odor problems to begin with.

Normal, non-smelly people will be fine with shell cordovan shoes in most situations. The breathability issue is negligible to nonexistent for things such as watch straps or wallets.

>>14256060
Good job! How much experience do you have? Hard to tell from the pics but it looks like they're goodyear welted?

>>14256741

Thanks for clarifying.

>>14256789
No worries, ask away if you have any other questions!

>>14254136
I got a pair of derby alligator shoes by gucci from the 80s. a snake skin belt from amico d´something and a croc belt by brioni. they are pretty subtle. i wear them with the rest of my dadcore.

>>14255833
Russian reindeer is a meme. They made so many shoes out of that ship load you could build a cathedral with it. This is woodchip from jesus cross tier skullduggery.

>>14256269
Leatheranon is the hero we need but don't deserve, appreciate the expertise!
(OP here by the way)

>This snakeskin jacket is a symbol of my individuality and my belief in personal freedom

>>14256978
Always happy to help!

I forgot to mention kangaroo hide as well; This stuff is awesome. It has the highest strength/weight ratio of any leather (10x stronger than cowhide while somehow being lighter, that's crazy) and is naturally resistant to drying out. It's flexible but not very stretchy which is a great characteristic for things like shoes, gloves or belts.

I'm not sure how prevalent the "full grain > top grain > genuine leather" myth is around here but this blog post is a must read for people buying anything from shoes to car seats imo. The guy who wrote it has been doing this for decades and is very knowledgeable.

https://nstarleather.wordpress.com/2018/05/31/the-grades-of-leather-hierarchy-youve-probably-read-about-is-a-myth/

I'll make a little tl;dr in the next post for those too lazy to read it because it's really important information

>>14257013
tl;dr: The terms "full grain", "top grain", and "genuine leather" (among others) have been misrepresented by the clothing, furniture and automotive industries

Hides are generally split when they are processed for a variety of reasons but most of them come down to extracting the most value out of the leather.

The terms full grain, top grain, and suede are used to identify which parts of the leather are used (refer to pic). These terms have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the quality of the leather, they refer to how it is processed.

The term "genuine leather" means that something is real leather. that's it. The pic is slightly mislabeled here as "genuine leather" should really be in brackets next to everything there. That's the only inaccuracy in the pic though.

"Full grain" is basically just an un-split hide with the entirety of the exterior intact (not sanded, buffed or corrected in any way). Full grain leather is usually the most expensive because the hides with stellar exteriors and no major structural flaws are kept to be sold as full grain. However, people frequently try to sell shitty full grain leather at inflated prices so watch out.

If the hide isn't quite up to full grain selling standards, it's generally split into top grain and suede, where along the corium depends on the individual hide.

"Top grain" hides are, well, the top half. The difference here though is that the top grain hides are typically buffed, sanded, stamped with a pattern which may or may not be exotic or otherwise have their exterior processed in some way to cover up imperfections. Altering the appearance in any of these ways qualifies it as "corrected grain" leather as well.

"Suede", as most people know is the softer inner layers of skin. Not much else to say here.

>>14254136
I want to get a stingray watch band but I feel customs will fuck me over and send it back

>>14255354
I wouldnt get embossed leather for something as big as shoes.

>>14257065
In general: For all of the different leathers above, they come in a variety of qualities.

Shitty full grain middle eastern leather is commonly sold to dupe people into thinking they're buying quality merchandise, but quality full grain leather jackets or boots can be worn by your children. Watch out for shitty full grain car seats and couches in particular. Top grain leather can be anything from the "genuine leather" around a $10 amazon flask to the $1200 crocodile printed gucci purse. Go touch some aldo suede boots and some saint laurent ones and you can feel the difference.

"Bonded leather" I forgot to touch on but it's leather scraps melted together with a bunch of pvc and chemicals. Avoid like the plague.

And one last time... "genuine leather" just means leather. That's it. If that's a company's major selling point on some sort of leather item, it's probably not great quality so don't pay too much for it.

Why not leather on sports shoes?

>>14257314
You don't want consistent workout-level sweat all over the inside, no matter what you do they'll stink forever. Leather is also wayyy heavier than the synthetic materials most sport shoes are made of so it's a poor choice for running and agility in general.

Leather is fine for weightlifting shoes, the soviets used to use it in some of the earlier forms of them. Modern weightlifting shoes definitely have more desirable, specialized materials available though.

>>14254136
Would love fur shoes tbeh.

>>14256741
Not welted, not even Goodyear. Just cemented construction, design school reasons. I did practice hidden channel outsole stitching, that was fun. Learned that in shoemaker school. All in all I got a bit over 20 pairs of shoes done, most being cemented, three pairs veldtschoen, and I did do one pair hand welted.

Alligator leather is extremely durable and extremely comfortable. It makes every other leather I've worn feel like shit.

Don't wear it if your job is to be a fucking drone, though. To high finance types, loafers are a goofy "out there" style, let alone an exotic leather.