Leather signs and seals
LEATHER SIGNS
Leather goods have great differences in quality and care requirements, which is why leather markings provide information about the type of leather, its origin and where it was tanned. There are many different types of leather, each with different properties. Cowhide, for example, is a very high-quality leather that is extremely durable, long-lasting and of high quality. Artificial leather, on the other hand, is merely an imitation leather and is sometimes difficult to distinguish from real leather for a buyer who has no specialist knowledge of leather goods. The marking of leather goods should therefore provide information about the type of leather. That's not all, as the origin of leather goods also plays a major role. Many leather goods come from China, but there are no animal protection laws in this country.
This means that in China all kinds of animals, including dogs and cats, are used to produce leather goods. After processing into the finished product, a leather product made from dog leather is almost indistinguishable from a product made from conventional leather. Because of this, it is important that leather markings can provide information about the type and origin of the leather. Of course, it is also important to know where the tannery of the leather product you want to buy is located. In many regions of the world, clothing, bags, accessories and much more are made by underpaid workers who have to work in inhumane conditions. In some cases, children are even used in production. If you want to prevent this, you should make sure that you avoid products whose tanning process took place in such regions. The labeling is also important for the correct care and cleaning of leather goods.
WHAT LEATHER SIGNS ARE THERE?
There are many different leather symbols. The most common leather symbol is the symbol for genuine leather. There is also the leather skin symbol, which is often marked with the inscription "Genuine Leather". This is how producers want to indicate that the product meets the requirements to be labelled as genuine leather. However, you should not blindly rely on the leather symbol, as it does not provide any information about the quality of the leather. There are also fraudsters who use this symbol even though it is not genuine leather. The Association of the German Leather Industry warns these fraudsters and tries to take action against them as best it can. The leather symbol is not a protected symbol, but most leather symbols are similar. As a retailer of leather goods, however, you must ensure that you do not copy a competitor's symbol, but create your own. Otherwise, you may be accused of plagiarism and receive warnings.
There are special markings for shoes. The European Union has created special regulations for leather markings for shoes. The materials used to make the shoes must be clearly marked. A marking must be clearly visible and durable on at least one shoe. There are three areas. The upper material, the insole or lining and the outsole are all marked differently. The reason for this is that some shoes have an upper made of leather and an outsole made of plastic. These markings for shoes exist so that the seller can also get precise information about which parts of the shoes were made of which materials. In addition, clothing leather also has its own leather markings. The problem with clothing leather marking is that it usually does not provide any information about the type of leather. It usually only states that it is real leather.
WHAT DOES THE GENUINE LEATHER MARK MEAN?
The leather symbol for genuine leather means that the product is genuine leather. It is therefore impossible for the product to contain a small amount of leather or for it to be a type of imitation leather. On the other hand, there are of course fraudsters who use the symbol for genuine leather even though it is a synthetic material. Such misuse of the genuine leather symbol is punishable. In addition, the end consumer often has no indication from this symbol as to what type of leather it is. Leather goods are made from the hides or skins of many different animals. These include lambs, sheep, pigs, goats, cattle, calves, deer, roe deer, reindeer, elk, horses, snakes, antelopes and sometimes even kangaroos. All leather goods have different properties. For example, there are open-pored leather goods that are sensitive to water. These leather goods require specific care and cleaning that is different from other leather goods.
So that the end consumer can distinguish between leather goods, there should be a label for the type of leather. Another important reason is that there are also big differences in quality. For example, cow or buffalo leather goods are very high-quality products, whereas products made of pigskin, for example, are of lesser quality. You certainly don't want to pay the price of cowhide goods for a product made of pigskin. For this reason, there should be a differentiation for the type of leather and not just a symbol for leather. Nevertheless, the leather symbol is important to at least identify genuine leather goods.
WHAT TYPES OF LEATHER SHOES ARE THERE?
Leather marks on shoes are divided into upper material, lining, insole and outsole. Each area can therefore be made from a different material. There are four different marks that can be used for this. The leather mark, the mark for coated leather, the textile mark and the mark for all other materials can be used. Coated leather is leather that has a 15 mm thick colour print or film. However, the colour print or film must not make up more than a third of the total thickness, because then it is artificial leather.
WHAT TYPE OF SYNTHETIC LEATHER IS THERE?
There is a textile labeling regulation that states that all products containing 80% textile fibers must be labeled accordingly. This European Union regulation is intended to protect end consumers who do not want any animal components in their clothing. Many jeans have such a label integrated in the belt area. This label is often made of leather, but not always. There is also an artificial leather symbol that resembles a woven textile layer or diamond. So if you want to avoid animal materials in your clothing, but do not want the casual look of a leather jacket, then look for the symbol for artificial leather. The leather symbol is actually a spread-out animal skin, so you can better distinguish between the two symbols.