A Brief Guide To Sheepskin Leather

SHEEPSKIN LEATHER 

Many of us are aware from the word sheepskin but only a few literally know what sheepskin actually is and how it is produced. Sheepskin is basically a skin derived from the sheep hide and sometimes referred to as lambskin. The sheepskin leather is considered to be the most top-tier leather among all kinds of the hides derived from different animals. We can call it a shearling as well, only if it has its wool intact without which it becomes leather after a bit of processing.

How it is made:

As compared to the other leather types, the sheepskin is tanned along with fleece or wool. Tanning is basically a practical methodology to create leather out of animal hides by treating them in such a way so as to alter the protein structure rendering them with a lot more durability making them invulnerable enough to avoid being decomposed. The treatments allow the sheepskin to become a perfect leather that is ready for the subsequent steps of dyeing and colouring.

A sheepskin is referred to as a shearling when it is supplemented with fleece or wool on one side and leather on the other. Mostly the fleece is worn on the inside while the leather is on the exterior. The wool is thought to provide an ultimate insulation and is considered as the most preferred apparel during the sub-zeroes. Apart from looking extremely aesthetic, it has some other excellent properties like its hypoallergic nature, remarkable insulating properties, enchanting ability to resist burn and static electricity.

Quality:

The quality of a sheepskin leather or a lamb leather depends on the visibility of pelts or whether the product has any kind of seed contamination or not. Yes, you heard that right. The seeds or other food particles get stuck into the wool that afterwards cause scarring of the hide. Greater the scarring or seed contamination is visible, poorer will be the quality of the leather. When the seed contamination is here, the pelt undergoes scarring which ultimately forms small holes and irreversible damage to the surfaces. You can identify a good quality sheepskin leather, only if you know how to grade it:

No visible seed: visually there is no seed contamination but, there could be one or two.

Light seed: minimum contamination mainly on the abdominal region.

Medium seed: minimum contamination usually around the belly and leg region.

Heavy seed: heavy contamination appearing on most on the areas but prevalent around the legs and belly areas.

Burry: contamination is with a hard seed and can vary from light to heavy contamination.

Advantages of sheepskin leather:

Sheepskin leather is comparatively softer, flexible and stretchable as compared to the cowhide leather with a smooth and buttery tactile. It allows you to feel an exceptional comfort when you wear it. Sheepskin, when supplemented with fleece could be an ideal attire in winters as it lets you feel the warmth of it thereby keeping you body relaxed and serene. Moreover, the perforated nature of sheepskin makes it breathable and cool in summers. It offers resistance to heat and inflammation empowering you to feel secure in its embrace. One of the most laudable attributed to the sheepskin is that it releases a substance called lanolin which protects it from damage from burns and bacterial infections.

                             

Disadvantages of sheepskin leather:

As it is apparent from the above statement that sheepskin has an elastic nature having a propensity to stretch and become saggy with the course of time. So, it is very important to choose the best fitting for yourself. Moreover, sheepskin is thin and light-weight as compared to other leather types. Therefore, the upholstery made up of sheepskin leather, needs to be carried with a lot more upkeep and maintenance as they require additional effort to stay for a long run. One of the most important point to ponder here is that although sheepskin leather repels water, it is not 100% waterproof.

Used of sheepskin leather:

Lamb leather is used to produce soft leather products including gloves, bags, jackets (with or without shearling), hats, footwear, rugs, saddle’s seat covers and paddles, and some other equestrianism belongings. The wool of the sheepskin has excellent insulating properties that allow you to feel relaxed throughout the harsh encounter. It has this amazing ability to let you stay perspiration free. Also, the wool traps your body heat and provide you warmth in the time of need. The pelts not only provide you comfort but also renders your personality with voguish attributes.

There are numerous varieties of wool available that has been derived from different breeds of the sheep and are given an entirely new look after being treated.

Toscana sheep leather: derived from Toscana sheep that dwells in the mountains of Spain and are thought to possess the softest wool having medium-long hair with high density.

   

Merino wool: merino wool is derived from the merino sheep of Spain and is thought to produce the wool of relatively shorter fibres having popularity in the production of knitwear.

   

                 

Mouton wool: Also known as sheepskin wool that is derived from mouton sheep and treated to make it straight enough to resemble the beaver fur. It is chemically treated to make straight, softer and moisture repellent with a smooth silky finish.