It’s supremely bad as a product, the origin doesn’t actually matter?
Smells, stiff, needs constant care, (comparatively) complex to repair, it just has virtually no upsides. It doesn’t even last long unless you’re comparing really high-quality leather to really low-quality cotton or something like that.
I own a leather motorcycle jacket I’ve abused for 20+ years that is none of those things, and it wasn’t particularly expensive. I’ve repaired some loose stitches and rub some leather balm into it twice a year.
Yes: garbage quality leather is crap, and most of the “fast fashion” items on the market use trash leather. But decent quality leather will last for decades if you put a minimal amount of care into it. It’s relatively easy to maintain and repair too.
It’s very, very good as a product, when you’re using it in the areas where it’s best used. Take, for instance, work gloves. When I’m cutting, splitting, and stacking wood, a pair of very cheap, badly made, stiff, pig skin gloves from Harbor Freight will last me a few weeks before the finger tips wear through. Cotton gloves will last less than a day. Synthetic work gloves with reinforced fingers typically last about a week. Nice goatskin work gloves last about as long as the pigskin gloves, but are more comfortable and cost more.
My “motorcycle” jeans–reinforced with para-aramid fabric–are completely shot, and useless for riding. My RevIt! leather riding jacket and pants–which I’ve crashed in four times now–are still in fantastic shape, and are the same age as the jeans.
It’s supremely bad as a product, the origin doesn’t actually matter?
Smells, stiff, needs constant care, (comparatively) complex to repair, it just has virtually no upsides. It doesn’t even last long unless you’re comparing really high-quality leather to really low-quality cotton or something like that.
Ive been using a $10 leather belt every day for over 20 years now, zero maintenance or anything done to it.
I own a leather motorcycle jacket I’ve abused for 20+ years that is none of those things, and it wasn’t particularly expensive. I’ve repaired some loose stitches and rub some leather balm into it twice a year.
Yes: garbage quality leather is crap, and most of the “fast fashion” items on the market use trash leather. But decent quality leather will last for decades if you put a minimal amount of care into it. It’s relatively easy to maintain and repair too.
And that’s why it has had no use throughout human history whatsoever. /s
Do you also have an opinion on timber smelling bad and be completely useless with no upsides?
It’s very, very good as a product, when you’re using it in the areas where it’s best used. Take, for instance, work gloves. When I’m cutting, splitting, and stacking wood, a pair of very cheap, badly made, stiff, pig skin gloves from Harbor Freight will last me a few weeks before the finger tips wear through. Cotton gloves will last less than a day. Synthetic work gloves with reinforced fingers typically last about a week. Nice goatskin work gloves last about as long as the pigskin gloves, but are more comfortable and cost more.
My “motorcycle” jeans–reinforced with para-aramid fabric–are completely shot, and useless for riding. My RevIt! leather riding jacket and pants–which I’ve crashed in four times now–are still in fantastic shape, and are the same age as the jeans.