Why I prefer to use full grain kangaroo leather

When I first started with leather craft, one of the biggest reasons for my involvement is the look and feel of leather. The natural look of full grain kangaroo leather is always pleasing to the eye and the feel is something that cannot be replicated by any synthetic material. The smell is equally important to me as it helps to engender a feeling of authenticity in the products I make and sell. There is one important fact to realise when dealing with leather, regardless of whether you are a creator or a customer, and that is that “not all leathers are equal”.

What’s the difference?

First it’s important to realise there are many different types of leather that are made from the skins of many different types of animals. The most common leather is made from the skin of cows but you can also get Kangaroo leather, Crocodile leather, Ostrich leg leather and the list goes on and on. Some of the different types of leather that exist are full grain, top grain, corrected grain, suede etc. Full grain is the one type that is the least modified from what the skin of the animal originally looked like which makes it, for me at least, the one true leather. Full grain leather does not try to hide the visible imperfections that are normally apparent on the leather. These imperfections such as insect bite marks, scars, bullet/arrow holes and branding marks to name a few, add to the appeal of full grain leather as they show evidence of the animals life. This evidence adds to the appeal, and enriches the life, of products made with full grain leather.

Full grain Kangaroo Leather

I’m not sure if you can buy Kangaroo leather in anything other than full grain. I have not really looked so I cannot say. There is no doubting that the Kangaroo leather I do buy is Full grain. The evidence is definitely there on each and every piece of leather. The veins, the bite marks, the bullet holes are all evident. What makes the Kangaroo leather unique amongst all other full grain leather is the scarring all the way along the spine. Many of the Kangaroo leather skins have this scarring along the spine and the reason for it is combination of the hopping motion of the kangaroo and the millions of lineal meters of wire fencing around properties all over Australia. As the Kangaroo hops around and tries to get through the wire fence, it sometimes gets cut along its back leading to these scars. This adds to the appeal of the kangaroo leather.

So when you purchase any of my full grain leather products, be sure of the fact that I have used full grain leather to make it, and treasure the fact that the evidence of the animals life is not covered up by any process involved in “beautifying” the leather.