Walk into almost any high street shop and you’ll see the word ‘leather’ on labels that don’t quite mean the same thing. Some of it’s the real thing, and some of it’s PU, often sold as ‘vegan leather’, a material that’s designed to look like leather but is something else entirely. At Lumengin, we only work with real leather, and we’re often asked why. Here’s our thinking, along with an honest look at how the two materials compare.
What is vegan (PU) ‘leather’?
PU stands for polyurethane. PU ‘leather’ is a thin polyurethane coating applied to a fabric backing, usually polyester or cotton, then embossed to imitate the grain of a hide. In other words, it’s a plastic, not leather.
‘Vegan leather’ is usually PU or PVC, so it’s a plastic too, although a few newer versions blend in some plant material. ‘Bonded leather’ is made from leather scraps and fibres glued together and usually finished with a PU coating, so in everyday use it behaves much like PU.
Real leather is the tanned hide of an animal. Full grain leather keeps the complete outer grain layer, the strongest and most tightly packed part of the hide, so it’s naturally tough and full of character.
Durability: decades versus a few years
This is the biggest reason we choose real leather. Well-made full grain leather goods can last for decades. Leather can be cleaned, conditioned, re-stitched and repaired, and it develops a patina over time, a richer colour and softer sheen that many people love.
PU wears very differently. The coating tends to crack, peel and delaminate from its fabric backing, often within a few years of regular use, especially at folds and edges. Once that’s started, it can’t really be repaired, so the item usually ends up being replaced.
Comfort, feel and everyday living
Leather is a natural material that breathes and absorbs a little moisture, so it’s comfortable against the skin and copes well with changes in temperature. PU doesn’t breathe in the same way, so it can feel warm or sweaty in heat and stiff or cold in winter. Leather also holds its shape well, softening and moulding to how you use it, while PU can crease permanently or sag.
To be fair to PU, it does have genuine advantages. It’s often lighter, it’s water resistant and wipe-clean when new, it needs little care at first, and it’s cheaper to buy. Leather needs occasional conditioning, and untreated leather can mark with water or oil, although a good finish and a little care go a long way. Leather also takes dye deeply, giving colour real depth, while PU’s colour sits on the surface and can look flat or wear through.
A note on sensitivities: some people react to chemicals used in tanning, such as chromium, and others react to plastics or adhesives, so if you’ve got a known allergy, it’s worth checking how a material was made.
The environmental picture
Neither material is impact free, and we’d rather be honest about both. PU is made from fossil fuels, it sheds microplastics as it wears, and it isn’t biodegradable, so a worn-out PU item will stay around for a very long time.
Humans have used animal hides and leather to protect themselves from the elements for 400,000 years, with early flint scrapers and other tools found at sites like Hoxne in England pointing to the processing of hides. Real leather is usually a by-product of the meat industry, using hides that would otherwise go to waste. Tanning does have an impact: chrome tanning, other chemicals and the water used all need careful management. Vegetable tanning and well-regulated tanneries reduce that impact considerably.
Longevity matters too. One leather bag that lasts decades will often have a smaller footprint than several PU bags bought, worn out and thrown away over the same period.
Real leather and PU at a glance
| Real full grain leather | Vegan (PU) ‘leather’ | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Tanned animal hide | Polyurethane coating on a fabric backing |
| Feel | Natural, warm, varied texture | Smooth, uniform, can feel plasticky |
| Breathability and comfort | Breathes and absorbs some moisture | Little breathability; can feel sweaty in heat |
| Cold weather | Stays supple | Can stiffen and crack |
| Water and stain resistance | Moderate; improved by finishes and care | Good when new; wipe-clean |
| Weight | Heavier | Usually lighter |
| Shape retention | Holds shape and moulds to use | Can crease permanently or sag |
| Colour | Dye penetrates for depth | Colour sits on the surface |
| Smell | Rich, natural smell | Chemical or plastic smell |
| Durability | Can last decades | Often cracks or peels within a few years |
| Ageing | Develops a patina | Deteriorates; doesn’t improve |
| Care | Occasional cleaning and conditioning | Minimal at first |
| Repairability | Can be repaired, re-stitched and conditioned | Can’t really be repaired once peeling |
| Environmental impact | Meat-industry by-product; tanning impact varies by method and regulation | Fossil-fuel based; sheds microplastics |
| End of life | Biodegrades slowly (depends on tanning) | Not biodegradable |
| Allergies | Occasional reactions to tanning chemicals, e.g. chromium | Occasional reactions to plastics or adhesives |
| Upfront cost | Higher | Lower |
| Value over its lifetime | Lower cost per year of use | Higher cost per year if replaced often |
| Resale and heirloom value | Can be passed on or resold | Little or none |
How to tell them apart
- Smell: real leather has a warm, distinctive scent; PU often smells of plastic or chemicals.
- Edges: cut leather edges show compressed fibres; PU edges show a coating over fabric, or are folded and sealed.
- Pores: leather has irregular pores and natural marks; PU has a uniform, repeating pattern.
- Backing: the reverse of leather is fibrous and suede-like; PU usually shows a woven or knitted fabric.
- Price: if it seems remarkably cheap for ‘leather’, it probably isn’t real leather.
- Labels: look for the ‘genuine leather’ symbol, shaped like a hide, and read the material description carefully; ‘PU’, ‘faux’ or ‘vegan leather’ mean it isn’t real leather.
Why we choose real leather
PU has its place, and it’s fair to say it’s cheaper, lighter and easy to wipe clean. But we want our leather goods to feel wonderful, age beautifully and keep going for years, ideally long enough to be passed on. We’d rather make one piece that lasts than something that’ll need replacing, and that’s why we don’t use PU.
If you’d like to see what we make, have a look around our shop. And if you’ve got any questions about materials, we’re always happy to help.