Is Italian Leather Better Than Nappa Leather?

The Lowdown on Italian Leather vs Nappa Leather

There are a lot of different types of leather, from genuine leather to imitation leather. But generally, what is it? Simply put, leather is a natural fabric that is commonly used, taking animal skins that are scraped, dried, and treated to create a durable, water resistant natural material that has insulative properties and a luxurious softness. Leather is believed to be one of the first, if not the very first, fabric made by human hands, and it has come a long way since it was first created. Today, you can find leather that comes in many different styles, grades, and colors.

Beauce of its high quality, durability, and versatility, leather is a component of many luxury products, from furniture to clothes to automotive interiors. Since each of these products have different desirable characteristics, they are made out of different varieties of leather. There are many different ways to distinguish between types of leather. Common distinctions include the type of grain and specifics of the curing process used to turn the original animal skin into a luxury leather product.

Full grain leather is closest to its source material, making it one of the most desirable forms of leather. On other types of leather, such as top grain leather or corrected grain leather variants, the outer layer of the hide has been removed to even out natural imperfections and make it easier to work. Yet on full grain leather, the dense fibers of this outer layer provides each piece with unique natural grain features while contributing durability to the soft leather.

One remarkable facet of full grain leather is that as it ages, it develops a characteristic shine. This shine, or patina, is unique to the environment each piece finds itself in. The patina distinguishes each piece and provides interesting clues to the history of the item. This patina can also attest to whether or not the product under question is truly a leather article.

Nappa Leather

Now that we have a basic overview of what leather is in general, let's discuss the most important part about this article - what nappa leather even is.

What is Nappa Leather?

The history of Nappa leather originates in the United States. Nappa leather, sometimes called Napa leather, was invented in California in 1875 by a man named Emanuel Manasse who, at the time, worked for a tanning company in Nappa, California called Sawyer Tanning Company. Nappa leather is a type of full grain leather. The idea behind making Napa leather was that it would be dyed and made from a variety of animal hides - kid, cow, calf, lamb, and more. 

Originally developed for use on gloves, Napa leather is now found on a wide variety of leather products. Though Napa leather was historically cured with vegetable tannins, its modern variant more often uses chemicals in the tanning process such as chromium or aluminum sulfates, which are salts that can make the material feel buttery soft. Another feature of Napa leather is that the leather is sometimes dyed in water soluble colorants to help make the leather more resistant to fading.

Quality and Appearance

Generally, Napa leather is a pretty high quality leather. Napa leather is unsplit, full grain leather. Full grain leather means that the skin's surface hasn't been altered apart from hair removal and is regarded as one of the most authentic kinds of leather since it keeps the texture from the original hide. This allows the natural grain of the leather to shine.

But the biggest obstacle for Nappa leather is that it is also often used to describe low-grade leather products or even synthetic leather to denote softness. In other words, just because a leather is called Nappa leather or Napa leather doesn't mean that it is necessarily a high quality leather since the name has been stretched and misused.

Advantages

When it comes to the high quality Napa leather, you can expect the material to be luxurious and stylish, with minimal maintenance requirements since dust can easily be swept off with a dry lint-free cloth. Soft cloth helps prevent scratches in the surface of the leather. Nappa leather is water resistant, as is true for most leathers. Also like most leathers, it is very durable and can last a long time, especially in your vehicle's upholstery. It is also hypoallergenic.

Disadvantages

One major disadvantage to Nappa leather is the trouble distinguishing genuine Nappa leather from the lower quality varieties. Since high quality Nappa leather can be quite expensive, this opens up the possibility that you could pay a large sum for high quality Nappa leather and receive a low quality version instead. It can increase the ticket price of a car by as much as $1,000.

Additionally, Nappa leather (as well as leather in general) can have the distinct disadvantage of becoming quite cold in the winter and hot in the summer, leading to discomfort for you and your passengers alike. Depending on the actual quality of the leather and how it specifically was treated, Nappa leather can be extremely sensitive to dirt. 

It can tear or be prone to discoloration  and staining since it is soft and porous, and Napa leather can also be at risk of fading because of its sunlight exposure. All of these can be costly to fix, so proper care of the leather is critical to keep the upholstery in good shape. Leather conditioners and proper leather cleaners are important to use when cleaning nappa leather.

Italian Leather

Alright - so we know what nappa, or Napa leather is now. How exactly does Italian leather differ?

What is Italian Leather?

There are several similarities between Nappa leather and Italian leather, and several major differences. While leather is made throughout the world, leathers from some areas of the world are looked down upon, while others are held in high esteem. 

Where Does Italian Leather Come From?

Today, the high-quality epicenter of the world is Italy, which has been the world's premier maker of fine leather for more than 500 years. So Italian leather is, simply put, leather that was made in Italy.

Italian leather is held in such high esteem that people from all over the world go out of their way to buy genuine Italian leather goods. In fact, many designer brands like Gucci or Coach use Italian-made leather almost exclusively for their products. It has many uses, and it is commonly used to make products such as bags, wallets, shoes, watch bands, and car interiors.

Italian leather is a full grain leather made of cow hides that has been cured by a traditional process using vegetable tannins. Remarkably, Italian leather is noticeably softer than other vegetable-treated leathers. The hand-produced nature of Italian cowhide leather, along with its patina, gives each article a unique feel. Other places in the world use this technique, of course, but Italian leather is also a trademark that protects the traditional knowledge and techniques associated with its creation.

Quality and Appearance

As mentioned previously, Italian leather is held in extremely high regard, producing exceptional quality and visually appealing leather. Cowhide is just the first step, and the full grain leather looks more natural and raw, allowing the natural textures and grain patterns of the leather to appear since only the hair is removed from the original leather. Italian leather is beautiful and unique, a smooth leather that is regarded highly in fashion and design for the beauty of its nuances in addition to its strength and durability.

Advantages

While most leathers are strong and durable, Italian leather is one of the strongest and most resistant to staining and fading. The benefits for Italian leather are the same as a lot of general leather benefits, like being easy to clean, durable, and stain resistant.

In addition to the normal benefits of leather, there are added benefits to Italian leather, namely that passion and tradition that Italian leather workers have in addition to a deep knowledge of their craft and the leathers they are using.. The way Italian leather is treated makes it especially elastic, resistant, and smooth and comes from long-standing traditions and methods for making the leather.

Disadvantages

The disadvantages to Italian leather are the same as leather in general - namely the coldness of the leather in winter and the extreme heat in the summer that can make sitting on these surfaces uncomfortable. While Italian leather seats are resistant to fading, all leather can fade when exposed to enough sunlight. Additionally, since Italian leather is some of the highest quality available, vehicles with Italian leather can be more expensive than ones with cloth seats, which is why it is most commonly found in luxury vehicles.