If you take a look in your closet, you will find more than a couple of leather items. Leather has always been a fashionable texture. Its popularity depends on its durability, versatility, and attractiveness. Nevertheless, there are many kinds of leather, which could be divided according to their quality. Among all leather textures, there is bonded leather too.
The main types of leather.
Technically there are four categories of leather. Full-grain leather is the highest quality leather for shoes. It is made from the whole hide of animals, therefore it's extremely durable and long-wearing. Top-grain leather is instead the second-best quality since it is thinner and easier to work with, it's a common choice for shoes and belts. The third type of leather is genuine or corrected leather, which is made from the thinner stripes of skin. Last but not least, bonded leather is the last kind of leather fabric.
The most important features of bonded leather.
Bonded leather, also known as regenerated leather, blended leather, or Salpa, corresponds to a manufactured upholstery material containing animal hide. It is made as a layered structure of fiber and paper backing covered with a layer of shredding leather scraps mixed with polyurethane adhesives. Furthermore, the whole surface is usually embossed with a leather-like texture.
As for possible colors and patternings, these consist of surface treatments that do not penetrate like a dyeing process would.
Since regenerated leather is mainly defined as a mixture of leather fibers, the natural leather fiber content of bonded leather may vary. In as little as few years lower-quality materials might immediately ruin themselves while better materials might appear more durable than what we expect. For all these reasons, it may be very difficult to predict how a given regenerated leather item will perform over the years.
Moreover, blended leather comes from the reuse of vegetal leather trimmings, derived from processing waste leather. So the use of vegetal leather and natural latex during the manufacturing allows to have a completely natural and ecological product, which doesn't imply the use of environmental resources.
Therefore, one of the most important advantages is the consideration of blended leather as a perfect eco-friendly fabric. Another possible advantage of blended leather includes high cutting yield because of its efficient costs and decrease in landfill waste.
Furthermore, regenerated leather can be found in furniture, various fashion accessories, and bookbinding. The most common applications of regenerated leather include book covers, cases, and covers of personal electronic devices, portfolios, and briefcases, textile and accessory linings, small leather articles and promotional fancy goods, shoe components, soles, belts, handbags, chairs, sofas, tables, organizers and paneling.
Collini Atomi di Scarpa, an official retailer of bonded leather.
Being a trustworthy retailer, Collini Atomi di Scarpa has been working to provide footwear and leather goods manufacturers with the best quality of materials. The main purpose of this company is the preservation of Italian style all over the world. As a result, even more, partners rely on the selection of Collini Atomi di Scarpa's products and its experience gained over the years.
Among all items, Collini Atomi di Scarpa offers a selection of bonded leather too. For instance, Bonded Leather Salpa Sheets, with a heat-shrinkable polyethylene packaging in order to protect and isolate it, are perfect both for inner reinforcement of bags and as thickness under the sole.
Sheets are usually applied as a finishing product and therefore they must be inserted between leather and leather, leather and synthetic material or leather and fabric, as to avoid possible product undulations.
In regards to synthetic material, Collini Atomi di Scarpa offers Synthetic Salpa Kalff too. Similar to traditional material made with regenerated leather, it is often used for bags and shoes that required structure and resistance, keeping at the same time softness and durability. This kind of product doesn't loss its mechanical resistance if washed. It is slightly elastic in all directions and gives an excellent soft touch.
Lastly, Collini Atomi di Scarpa provides companies and private customers with Synthetic adhesives for Salpa Kalff, which is applied on one side of Salpa Kalff in order to get a perfect adhesion on hides or fabrics. The product keeps its light velvet touch, as well as its excellent mechanical folding resistance.