A leather wallet is a fixture of every person’s wardrobe. Even when we ceased using paper money, it lends itself well for organizing credit cards, business cards, documents, and other essentials. OK, it is clear why we need a wallet but what material to choose? There are lots of options: natural leather, artificial leather, and both categories come in a range of varieties. It’s easy to get confused and fail to pick the best material for your needs. Below, we will try to outline the features of the most common materials for wallets to help you make an educated choice every time and all the time.

Artificial Leather

It is an ideal option for those who like nature and don’t want animals to fall victim to high fashion. Therefore, artificial leather uses no products of animal origin. It has many other names – simil, faux leather, vegan leather, leather alternative, PU leather – but its essence remains the same. It is either a synthetic product imitating leather or cloth coated with PU or other material. 

Pros of Artificial Leather:

• Doesn’t harm animals;
• cheap at the price;
• comes in a variety of colors and textures.

Cons of Artificial Leather:

• can have a nasty smell for a while;
• manufacturing process isn’t always eco-friendly;
• it easily wears off and hence its service life is within 1-2 years;
• it is neither moisture-resistant nor flame-redundant. 

A wallet made of artificial leather won’t cost much but it will require a replacement sooner than you think. In the long run, several such wallets are going to cost more than a wallet made of genuine leather. On the bright side, you can invest in pleather to see if you enjoy a particular wallet construction. If you are used to compact tri-folds, a large bi-fold may seem clumsy and inconvenient. It’s better to test its compatibility with something cheap before making a full-blown commitment. 

Genuine Leather

This is an option for those who appreciate great functionality, wearability, resilience, and unique looks. This product has only one major drawback – someone has to die so that you can have a wallet. 

Pros of Genuine Leather:

• excellent durability;
• different species have unique skin properties;
• higher tear and wear resistance, as well as resistance to scuff marks and cracks;
• possibility to restore leather if it lost its original look;
• easy to maintain.

Cons of Genuine Leather:

• it costs more than other options;
• your wallet ‘killed’ an animal;
• farming and tanning processes may harm the environment.

The properties of various types of natural leather are dissimilar. For instance, popular cowhide leather is known for its suppleness and softness. Unfortunately, it is not the most durable around. Crocodile leather, on the other hand, is very lasting. It is thicker but it is not stiff. On top of that, it features excellent water resistance. Stingray leather wallets have the same quality when it comes to its interaction with water plus it provides a unique pebble-like texture combined with durability. Snake skin, in contrast, isn’t the most durable of exotic leathers. Over time, its scales will inevitably fall off or wear down. Nevertheless, this material is very soft and eye-catching. 

It’s hard to provide a brief overview of all types of natural leather. The point is that there is an option that provides all the qualities that you’re looking for.

Eco-Leather

It is the most confusing of all materials called ‘leather’. In some countries, eco-leather is a product of plant origin that is applied to the textile base. It is similar to PU leather, just instead of synthetic polyurethane, it utilizes plant-based compounds. Its quality is very similar to that of its totally artificial counterparts.

In other countries, eco-leather is a quite different thing. It implies the use of natural eco-friendly ingredients for tanning genuine leather instead of harmful chemicals common for traditional tanning methods. Eco-leather is supposed to protect the environment. Apart from that, it features the same drawbacks as traditionally tanned leather, plus its cost is even higher. 

How to Choose the Right Material?

First of all, you need to understand your priorities. You want to save the planet? That’s great but how? You want no animal deaths for the sake of fashion? Then stir clear of natural and eco-leather. You want to stop air, water, and ground pollution? Then artificial materials are probably not the best solution. Things get even more complicated when you consider that farming, even sustainable, isn’t completely waste- or pollution- free. An ideal solution simply doesn’t exist (at least, until we start growing real skin in laboratories on an industrial scale) but you can try to find a compromise between ‘save a cow’ and ‘save the environment’.

Next, what features do you wish your wallet to provide? Do you want it to serve you for 10 or more years? Then genuine full-grain leather is a solution. Want to get a new wallet every couple of seasons? Try artificial leather because why spend more on something temporary?