So I've been learning about the use of reinforcements in bag construction and various other leather items (interlinings). Sometimes bonded leather is used to give items structure. Sometimes they use synthetic materials like microfiber and various other space like materials. It has me thinking...why cant we just thicken up the leather and avoid reinforcement interlinings? If the goal is to produce leather products that are heirloom quality, does the use of these reinforcements fall into that category? Will leather products that avoid reinforcement interlinings last longer, breakdown faster, or not matter at all? These reinforcements are definitely popular judging by that the fact that they seem to always be sold out. I see alot of big leathercraft names on Instagram using them and making amazing things. In contrast recently, Philip announced that he is moving away from polyester threads and moving towards natural linen. Does a more purist construction make the leather items more desirable? I will continue to work with reinforcements to become a more versitile leathercrafter. However, I'm still trying to figure out what my leathercraft construction style will ultimately be. Any thoughts?
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@Dave Magic Having an acquaintance who owns about £1M worth of vintage leather goods here in the UK, I've been lucky enough to have had the opportunity to take a closer look at his stock.
I remember I was at his house once and he was showing me some new attache cases that he acquired. One of the cases was a Vuitton attache in Epi leather. It was in a rare colour and worth about 7k.
I said 'I've always wondered what Vuitton used for their solid cases underneath the canvas' (or leather in this case), he smiled and said 'lets find out', before using a spoon to prise the lining away and ripping it out. Millboard is the answer to that question.
There are good vintage leather goods - and there are bad vintage leather goods. There are also good brands using bad practices, because they know that if someone spends a vast sum of money on a bag, they are likely to baby it to a degree.
Luxury products have never had durability at the top of the list, that's for 'premium' products. Patek Philippe watches are unlikely to be as durable as Seiko watches, mechanical or otherwise.
My observations of modern materials and the vintage equivalent:
'Limp' leather goods
Modern: Mycro Basic / Alcantara / Decovil light
Vintage (good): Chamois leather / Cotton canvas / Suede split
'Semi Limp' leather goods
Modern: Salpa leatherboard / Decovil / Texon
Vintage (good): Vegetable tanned sheepskins / Buckram / Hide split
Limp and semi limp are old terms to describe the physical characteristics of a leather product. Sugar paper also known as construction paper was most common in the UK as a way to increase stiffness and structure where high flexibility wasn't needed.
You are correct, actual leather is the best option. Just because Gucci uses a synthetic material to add body to a soft chrome tanned leather bag (You can use thicker but it still won't hold shape), doesn't mean it is the best option.
Remember they also have design criteria that you don't, such as 'will the shareholders be pleased with the cost of materials?'.