Leather & Materials Guide

Every jacket on this site names its material — but the names themselves need a guide. "Leather" covers at least six different materials with wildly different lifespans, and the most expensive-sounding word in the industry ("genuine leather") is not the premium grade most people assume. This guide explains each material we sell or describe, compares them honestly, and shows you how to tell real leather from faux before you spend anything.

Full-grain leather

The top layer of the hide, with its natural surface — pores, grain and all — left intact and uncorrected. Full-grain is the strongest and most durable leather, and the most beautiful with age: it develops a deep patina and can serve for decades. Because every natural mark shows, only the best hides qualify, which makes full-grain the most expensive grade. It is the connoisseur's choice for jackets that will be worn hard and kept forever.

Top-grain leather

The same top layer, lightly sanded and finished to remove surface imperfections, giving an even, consistent appearance. Top-grain is slightly less rugged than full-grain but more uniform and more stain-resistant — which is why it suits smart, clean styles. Our cafe racer jackets use top-grain for exactly this balance of finish and durability.

"Genuine leather"

A real leather made from the layers below the top grain (a split), given a finished surface. It is genuine animal leather — the name is accurate — but as a grade it sits below full-grain and top-grain in strength and longevity. It is far more durable than any synthetic and develops character with wear. Most mid-priced leather jackets in the world, including most of ours, are built from genuine-grade hides; what matters is that the seller tells you, as we do on every page.

Suede

Made from the underside of the hide, buffed into a fine nap. Suede is soft, light and deeply textured, with a matte finish that changes tone as the nap moves. It is genuine leather in every sense, but the delicate one: it needs a protector spray, dislikes soaking, and rewards a brush. Our suede is goat suede, chosen for its fine, even nap.

Shearling and sheepskin

Sheepskin is the pelt; shearling is sheepskin with the wool sheared to an even length and left on. A shearling garment is one material doing two jobs — hide outside for weather, wool fleece inside for insulation — which is why it insulates better than any lined jacket. It is also the most expensive material we sell, and the warmest thing in the store by a wide margin.

Bonded leather

Leather fibres and scraps ground up and reconstituted with a binder onto a backing, then coated. It uses leather waste, which is its honest virtue, but it is the weakest leather product — it cracks and peels far sooner than any hide-based grade. We do not sell bonded leather jackets; we explain it here because the word "leather" on a label may mean bonded, and buyers should know the hierarchy before comparing prices.

Faux leather (synthetic)

A plastic coating — in our jackets, polyurethane — on a fabric base, embossed with a leather-like grain. Faux leather is not animal leather at all, and honest sellers say so. Its virtues are real: low price, consistent colour, rain resistance, no conditioning, and no animal content. Its limits are equally real: it does not mould to you, develop patina, or last like hide; after some years of flexing, the coating can crack. Our two faux styles are labelled synthetic everywhere, including in their structured data.

Side by side

Genuine vs faux: the verdict

If budget allows and you want a jacket for a decade or more, genuine leather wins on lifespan, fit and ageing — and usually on cost per wear. If you avoid animal products, need the look under $150, or want a rain-proof jacket you never have to condition, faux is the correct choice and no one should talk you out of it. What is never correct is a synthetic sold at a genuine price under a genuine name — which is why our faux collection is labelled in its very titles.

How to tell real leather from faux

Grain: real leather's grain is irregular — no two patches identical. Faux grain repeats like wallpaper. Water: a drop on real leather slowly darkens and absorbs; on faux it beads and sits. Edges and backing: real leather's cut edge is fibrous; faux shows a smooth plastic edge or woven fabric base. Feel and smell: real leather feels warm and slightly textured and smells like leather; faux feels cool, uniform and faintly chemical when new. Use all four checks together — any one alone can mislead.

Ready to compare in the store? Browse genuine leather jackets, suede jackets, shearling and the plainly labelled faux leather jackets — or read the Leather Care Guide for how each material is maintained.