The only leather dictionary you need if you are creating your belt collection

These days I'm making new belt samples for a client, obviously foreign, and I've heard more than usual from my leather dealer (don't call the police, it's all legal 😝).

We looked at different materials, different finishes and I thought that if you are creating your collection of belts it is interesting for you to discover the almost infinite possibilities and all the combinations that exist.

Obviously, the choice of material is not for its own sake, it depends on a sum of factors such as your price range, the identity of your brand, your target and so on.

1. LEATHER

If you have a casual, sporty or vintage brand and craftsmanship is one of the aspects you want to emphasize, I recommend using leather. Being the full grain par excellence, you need to support a higher price range and see how valuable the slight variance between a belt (and therefore a leather) and another.

2. NAPPA LEATHER

If, on the other hand, you have a more elegant style or you need a material that can be adapted in many ways, I recommend nappa leather, those silky and very soft materials with which gloves, women's sashes and sack bags are made.

3. SUEDE

If you need something that is suitable for different processes, a material you can consider is suede; by this I mean those splits on which an emery is applied to open the pores of the hide and which gives it the writing effect, that is the effect you have when you pass your hand over the material and get some shading. It is one of the most used materials to make belts, sashes, men's moccasins, bags.

4. POLISH LEATHER

Another material that can adapt to different price ranges, being workable both with a split and with a full grain, are the polish leather; in this case a removable material is applied to the leather which is then removed on the finished product so as to have a bi-color. It is widely used in footwear, when you see the typical brushing on the tip, and is a material that lends itself to purely classic collections.

5. BYCAST

If you need to work with a lower price range, while maintaining a classic look, I recommend bycast which tend to be splits on which a polyurethane film is applied that can have the most varied effects.

6. LAMINATED LEATHER

A slight variance are laminated leather, which can be both full grain and splits on which a thin layer is applied; also in this case the effects can be different: golden, pearly or other fashion effects and they depend on the style of your brand and your collection.

7. PONY HAIR LEATHER

Another material that you can use to make a belt and which can have the most disparate aspects is pony hair leather. In this case, it is a full grain that does not even undergo the shaving process and comes with the animal's fur that can undergo different processing, depending on the identity of the brand. As with leather, also in this case you must have a higher price range.

8. EMBOSSED LEATHER

If your brand can afford a higher price range, another full grain that lends itself to multiple effects depending on your style are the embossed leathers; in this case, a three-dimensional hot stamp is applied to the leather, which follows the style and identity of your brand: from classic crocodile prints to more casual and sporty variants. I suggest you to choose this material as full grain because thanks to the oils and fats of the leather, you can get a better result than using a split.

9. PRINTED LEATHER

When, on the other hand, the ink jet is applied directly to the hide, split or full grain, as if it were a tattoo, we are faced with a printed leather. Also in this case, depending on the identity of your brand, the screen printing to be applied on the leather can decide.

These are the main macro-categories of leather that you can choose to make your collection of belts; as I told you at the beginning, the choice depends on many factors and is not at all obvious.

You must therefore be able to count on a serious and reliable supplier of belts who can understand what best suits your collection and your price range.

If you need to clear your mind about your belt collection, feel free to write me on Whatsapp.

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