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America has no use for hides, so leather prices plunge

latimes.com

131–140 of 202 posts

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

#131
post #61

I'd be interested to know how much of this has to do with the dilution of the meaning of 'leather' in terms of consumer goods. The market is flooded with garbage products, which are produced by slicing a thin veneer of leather and gluing it to a plastic backing, which is then sold as "bonded leather." It's gotten so bad that full-grain leather products are exceedingly rare. Since 90% of "leather" products are such aw…

I had a really awesome leather belt that I got when I was 15. I stopped wearing it when I was 30 because my weight finally out outgrew the belt. Still have it. It's no worse today than it was when I got it as a teen. I go through about a belt a year now. Because I always seem to end up with this crap you describe. Even if I try to avoid it. Guess I need to do a better job looking... Or just lose some weight so I can…

You could always just buy a belt blank [1] and a buckle. Not a terrible lot to a belt.

[1] https://theleatherguy.org/collections/leather-belt-blanks

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

#132
post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had a really awesome leather belt that I got when I was 15. I stopped wearing it when I was 30 because my weight finally out outgrew the belt. Still have it. It's no worse today than it was when I got it as a teen. I go through about a belt a year now. Because I always seem to end up with this crap you describe. Even if I try to avoid it. Guess I need to do a better job looking... Or just lose some weight so I can…

I have a couple of leather belts (one brown and one black) that I got from https://simpleleatherbelt.com/ I highly recommend them. These belts will last a lifetime.

The website is a study in how not to do a checkout process, even on simpler mom-n-pop WooCommerce sites.

- - - -

> TIP CUT C125

> Round

> English Point

> Taper

- - - -

> Belt length:

> * DO NOT USE YOUR PANTS SIZE *

> 25

> 26

> 27

- - - -

It's better if you:

1. Explain which options are recommended for what kind of customer, or which options go together better in a set.

2. Don't expect checkout customers to work in your leather belt shop.

What does C125 mean? Why is it prominent in the checkout?

If you're not meant to use your pants size, how about a sizing guide?

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

#133
post #70
post #61

I'd be interested to know how much of this has to do with the dilution of the meaning of 'leather' in terms of consumer goods. The market is flooded with garbage products, which are produced by slicing a thin veneer of leather and gluing it to a plastic backing, which is then sold as "bonded leather." It's gotten so bad that full-grain leather products are exceedingly rare. Since 90% of "leather" products are such aw…

There is a grading system for leather. "Genuine" leather is a deceptive marketing term designed to sell shit leather as quality. https://joojoobs.com/leather-grades/

That doesn't work, I'm not sure it ever did. Yeah if something says full grain then it's full grain, but if you want corrected grain calf no grading system can help you. Corrected grain calf is what most people wanting a leather jacket that doesn't look like a biker or a statement piece will be thinking about.

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

#134

I'm actually in the market for a leather jacket and boots right now, but I certainly haven't noticed prices going down at all. I'm finding leather jackets extremely difficult to shop for. Online advice is all over the place, and I want something to last a lifetime.

As a motorcyclist who just came in the door from a 300+ mi. day, the two most interesting leather goods makers for jackets are Vanson Leathers and Schott NYC. U.S made, and last forever. Both do custom work as well. Lewis Leathers in the UK is the other big brand, with Roland Sands Design on more trendy end of the spectrum.

For boots, I can recommend Gasonlina, who do made to measure motorcycle boots, and I've a pair of their "shortcut" boots for years.

If there is a drop in leather prices, it's an excellent opportunity to get custom clothing and gear made. Wish prices were down when I got my Vanson.

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

#135

I'm actually in the market for a leather jacket and boots right now, but I certainly haven't noticed prices going down at all. I'm finding leather jackets extremely difficult to shop for. Online advice is all over the place, and I want something to last a lifetime.

If you can travel to Argentina, there's another world for leather products there.

Very high quality.

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

#136
post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m in the same boat - I have a Nautica belt that I bought in 8th grade (37 now) that I still wear daily, though it is getting tighter it works like new. The buckle holes are not even noticeably stretched. As a tangent, Vivobarefoot is a shoe company that makes very high quality leather shoes. I bought a pair of their brown low-tops and have worn them everyday for work for 4(+) years. Other than looking slightly worn…

> As a tangent, Vivobarefoot is a shoe company that makes very high quality leather shoes. I bought a pair of their brown low-tops and have worn them everyday for work for 4(+) years. Other than looking slightly worn they function as new. No affiliation, just impressed with the craftsmanship. I've bought Vivobarefoot (mostly when they're on sale) for over 7 years now, and the build quality of their shoes are really h…

My guess has been that their small scale makes designing for long-term durability challenging.

My Evo also got trashed pretty quickly, but I had a pair of Neo that lasted around seven years before I finally wore through the sole. Have a couple from their Primus line for the past year or so that seem to be holding up well so far.

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

#137

So is it going to affect India? Leather is prominent industry in India. To what extent will it be affected?

My impression was Yogi Adityanath had already been picking on the industry in UP largely because of who predominates in it

Are you implying something about religion based infighting between Muslims and Hindus?

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

#138
post #61

I'd be interested to know how much of this has to do with the dilution of the meaning of 'leather' in terms of consumer goods. The market is flooded with garbage products, which are produced by slicing a thin veneer of leather and gluing it to a plastic backing, which is then sold as "bonded leather." It's gotten so bad that full-grain leather products are exceedingly rare. Since 90% of "leather" products are such aw…

I had a really awesome leather belt that I got when I was 15. I stopped wearing it when I was 30 because my weight finally out outgrew the belt. Still have it. It's no worse today than it was when I got it as a teen. I go through about a belt a year now. Because I always seem to end up with this crap you describe. Even if I try to avoid it. Guess I need to do a better job looking... Or just lose some weight so I can…

I get American made leather belts from here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dan-Freemans-Leatherworks/361... costs about $30-35. They last forever.

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

#139

“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?

Tesla and a lot of other car makers are switching to so called "vegan leather" in their cars. Which is a fashionable way of saying synthetic leather. In Tesla's case it is for everything except the steering wheel which they still use real leather for. It seems to be an admission that the real thing is still more durable under some circumstances.

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

#140
post #61

I'd be interested to know how much of this has to do with the dilution of the meaning of 'leather' in terms of consumer goods. The market is flooded with garbage products, which are produced by slicing a thin veneer of leather and gluing it to a plastic backing, which is then sold as "bonded leather." It's gotten so bad that full-grain leather products are exceedingly rare. Since 90% of "leather" products are such aw…

When I sold furniture 15 years ago, one of the selling lines was buying leather now is a great investment since the meat industry puts so much leather on the market it was super cheap. Not sure if it's still true or if it ever was.
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