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America has no use for hides, so leather prices plunge

latimes.com

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Re: America has no use for hides, so leather prices plunge

#41

Post by hombre_fatal »

human20190310 wrote: post #21
jbob2000 wrote: post #11

This is a shame because if you search for leather goods online, you’ll find whole shops full of garbage quality leather called Premium Crafted Leather aka PU Leather. They take leather fibers and coat it in polyurethane to give it a “proper” finish. It’s disappointing to see a race to the bottom with leather quality when it seems like there’s no need for that.

Non-leather goods are even worse. It's really hard to find a vegan wallet and belt that isn't pretending to be leather in some inadequate way.

> It's really hard

You can't just google "canvas wallet" or whatever is your preferred material?

Re: America has no use for hides, so leather prices plunge

#42

Post by nitrogen »

human20190310 wrote: post #21
jbob2000 wrote: post #11

This is a shame because if you search for leather goods online, you’ll find whole shops full of garbage quality leather called Premium Crafted Leather aka PU Leather. They take leather fibers and coat it in polyurethane to give it a “proper” finish. It’s disappointing to see a race to the bottom with leather quality when it seems like there’s no need for that.

Non-leather goods are even worse. It's really hard to find a vegan wallet and belt that isn't pretending to be leather in some inadequate way.

Maybe just skip the traditional look entirely and buy a wallet made from Tyvek, or maybe a solid metal billfold/card holder.

Re: America has no use for hides, so leather prices plunge

#43

Post by rjsw »

human20190310 wrote: post #21
jbob2000 wrote: post #11

This is a shame because if you search for leather goods online, you’ll find whole shops full of garbage quality leather called Premium Crafted Leather aka PU Leather. They take leather fibers and coat it in polyurethane to give it a “proper” finish. It’s disappointing to see a race to the bottom with leather quality when it seems like there’s no need for that.

Non-leather goods are even worse. It's really hard to find a vegan wallet and belt that isn't pretending to be leather in some inadequate way.

There seem to be plenty of fabric wallets available to me.

Re: America has no use for hides, so leather prices plunge

#45

Post by gumby »

I never liked leather as a material: heavy, easily scratched, etc. when I was a kid it was used in everything from backpacks to camera cases. Leather seats in cars get hot in ways cloth ones do not. Etc. Good riddance!

Well, I have leather hiking boots. Heavy but highly functional.

It always seemed crazy to me that leather goods, while functionally inferior in most cases, are considered the ”luxury” versions. Some sort of Vleben reasoning I suppose.

Well, at least it’s biodegradable unlike most of the alternatives. That’s a big deal too.

Re: America has no use for hides, so leather prices plunge

#46

Post by acdha »

matheweis wrote: post #7

“According to Hidenet, a leather markets research firm, a hide from a branded cow went for as little as $4 the week of July 15, down from as much as $81 just five years ago.” Wait, what? Consumer trends have shifted so radically in 5 years that even with a white hot economy leather prices have dropped by 20x?

The economy is hardly white-hot, especially for people below the top decile or so – the median American worker made 5% LESS in 2018 than in 1979 (https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R45090.pdf) – so I’d be surprised if this wasn’t basic economics: for a long time, leather was a premium good and cost more, so companies focused on using less of it and the large fraction of consumers who favor low prices rewarded them for it. It’s easy to hit a threshold where cutting the remaining usage entirely is a good marketing move since it removes a type of material from your system and attracts buyers who avoid animal products.

Prices may be low but they’d have to stay lower than the equivalent synthetics for a long time to get manufacturers to invest in redesigning and changing their supply chains.

Re: America has no use for hides, so leather prices plunge

#47

Post by lwhalen »

Interesting. I suppose I'm one of the few holdouts who still love leather clothing (motorcycle jackets, you weirdos ;-)) and accessories (I have multiple Saddleback Leather bags, wallets, etc). I don't see those items getting cheaper any time soon, I guess that indicates their profit margins have gone through the roof in the interim.

Re: America has no use for hides, so leather prices plunge

#48

Post by [deleted] »

efiecho wrote: post #15
_bxg1 wrote: post #3

Americans are eating more beef than they have in a decade? That's really surprising; seems everyone I talk to - not just vegetarians - have started looking at beef as something to be indulged in only on occasion. I assume the climate impact is the main reason.

That's why one should not make assumptions based on limited personal experience. We have eaten meat for thousands of years and most people will not stop doing that, just bcause it's currently fashionable to say you do not eat meat or have reduced consumption.

[deleted]

Re: America has no use for hides, so leather prices plunge

#49

Post by erikpukinskis »

efiecho wrote: post #15
_bxg1 wrote: post #3

Americans are eating more beef than they have in a decade? That's really surprising; seems everyone I talk to - not just vegetarians - have started looking at beef as something to be indulged in only on occasion. I assume the climate impact is the main reason.

That's why one should not make assumptions based on limited personal experience. We have eaten meat for thousands of years and most people will not stop doing that, just bcause it's currently fashionable to say you do not eat meat or have reduced consumption.

Calling something fashionable is just a cheap way to be dismissive. I’d respect you more if you stated openly which aspects of vegetarian efficiency, morality, pollution, health you think are nonsense. There are good arguments to be made there, but you’re hiding behind an empty insult.

Re: America has no use for hides, so leather prices plunge

#50

Post by bdowling »

gingabriska wrote: post #29
pbhjpbhj wrote: post #20

Shoe prices must be rock bottom, right?

But shoes aren't priced for raw material used, they've brand value which fetches higher price which mostly has to do with social signaling.

That’s not true if you’re talking about well-made men’s dress shoes. In that market, the best shoes are the best entirely because of materials and workmanship. Brand mainly indicates the level of quality you should expect as a buyer. Also, the brand can’t serve much of a social signaling function because usually trademarks aren’t visible and designs are traditional.
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