REAL SHEARLING : Another really soft and highly regarded luxury leather.  Real Shearling comes from sheep.  Takes a lot of sheep to make a Shearling Coat or Jacket, and requires intensive labor to produce a great product.  Shearling is expensive.  Referred to as 'Shearling or Sheepskin Shearling'.  

**Please note that 'Sherpa' or 'Sherpa Lining' is the artificial substitute for real Shearling.  You will find jean or leather products with 'Sherpa' in the mix as a substitute for real Shearling.  Be sure not to confuse the difference.

Now, just what is Real Sheepskin Shearling compared to other types of leather?  Some folks mistakenly think a Shearling Coat or Jacket is Wool attached to Lambskin.  Wrong.  Real Shearling, especially Top Grade Expensive Shearling is the Sheep's Skin turned inside out.  The full Sheepskin is pulled, yes, pulled from the muscle tissue and that is now the 'Raw Shearling Product'.  Yes, that particular thought may not set well with some, but that is what Real Sheepskin Shearling is.  When done well, the Full Sheepskin (the skin & it's attached wool) is dried and tanned through a special process with no separation for the Wool Product.  Then Special Lacquers are used to protect and color that 'Inside Layer of the Sheepskin' which will become the outside part of the jacket.  The very last layer of Lacquer will start to pull away and peel off once the Shearling Jacket is worn and stretched through normal use.

In other Real Shearling Products, the outside part of the Sheepskin can be dyed to appear a more consistent color.  Colors like Tan, or Seal Brown is often used.

Warning!  Products Advertised or Sold using the word 'Shearling' with 'Nappa' should be approached with caution.  Often it can be a two piece item of poor quality and poor materials, aimed at skimming money out of peoples pockets.  Such products do not qualify to be called Real Shearling.   Real Shearling means a Product that is One Piece, Skin & Wool turned inside out, with no separation .  You cannot glue low grade wool to any other type of leather, and call it Shearling.  Although, there are some who try.  When you do run across such a product, recognize it for what it is, an 'Imitation', not the real thing.  Watch you pocket book and do not pay more than what you should.  Pay only an 'imitation price', not a 'real price' for such a garment.

Pig Nappa   or Napa Leather or Nappa Leather or Leather: Pig Nappa Leather has several spellings.  A Low Grade, Low-Cost Leather that is fast replacing many of the other leathers in the Market today.  Cheap to manufacture, easy to manipulate, it has become the dream product of the Chain Stores.  Many foreign manufacturers are using Pig Nappa to glut existing Consumer Markets with low cost mass produced Leather Jackets, Coats, and Leather Accessories.  First sold as a really in-expensive leather option for the U.S. & European Import Markets, Pig Nappa Leather filled many niches in the Import Market, then proceeded to overtake it. 

However, the Price for  Pig Nappa is rising in many quarters.  The Market Place is just now beginning to see some moderately expensive Pig Nappa Products.  In the past, Nappa has been known as the 'Poor Man's Leather', or the  'Poor Man's Substitute for Lambskin'.  Today, Nappa is cutting deep into the mass market and may already dominate it's total sales.  It's quality is no where near High Grade First Cut Top Grain Leather.  However, if processed well, it has proven very acceptable to Consumers.   Durability, however, is not the Manufacturer's or Re-Seller's concern here.   You will buy more jackets and buy jackets more often, thereby raising Manufacturer Profits.  Too often, Pig Nappa Products are poorly processed and made from 'Buff, Flank,  or Spilt Leather' without Retailer or Consumer knowledge.

Since Pig-Nappa is not a very  flattering term with Consumers, many Manufacturer's and Retailers shy away from use of the term, and often hesitate when asked about it.  Instead, they have given Pig-Nappa a simple but effective deflection for the Consumer Market, referring to it as just 'Leather'.  Reminiscent of Chrysler's use of the term 'Corinthian Leather' years back, a  publicity facade used to describe the unknown leather used in some of their cars.  Many Consumers are still not aware they are purchasing Pigskin Leather. 

**As a Rule of Thumb : If the Product is Labeled only with: "Made of Supple Leather", or "Luxurious Leather", or "Supple Nappa Leather", with no reference to the Hide or Make of Leather, it is more probably Pigskin than anything else.  However, you can still be left wondering if it is even Top Grain & Genuine Pig-Nappa Leather, or the lesser Split Leather being passed off as 'Genuine', or the horrible 'Buff Leather'.  Ever so slowly, some Manufactures and Retailers are starting to label some of their wares with the title: Nappa Leather or Supple Nappa Leather.  However, the word 'PIG' or 'Hog' is conspicuously missing and any form of Hide rating is also absent.

Nappa-Finish is another term Consumers need to learn about.  It is closely tied to apparel articles that use some form of genuine trim fur or wool to highlight the piece.   For example, you will find Australian or Domestic Shearling combined with this term.  All it means is that someone has used some lesser grade of Australian Shearling Sheep Wool and glued it to a softer finished Pig-Napa or lesser domestic or foreign sheepskin.   Plus, on occasion, some even have the audacity to call Nappa 'Sheepskin', when in fact, it is nothing more than Chinese Pig-skin with Australian Wool glued to it.  Today, a Replica B3 Napa-Finish Flight Jacket might cost you $360, because it is disingenuously presented to Consumers as Real High Grade Shearling when in fact it is nothing more than a fuzzy Chinese sow-belly or 'buff-grade' sheepskin leftovers.   Do not confuse Australian Market Wool (or Shearling) with Lambskin ( the Hide ).  And Australian Wool has nothing to do with USA or New Zealand Shearling or Lambskin.  There is a market for this product, but consumers should not be fooled about what they are buying here.  Napa-Finish is not high grade stuff.   Paying $360 for such a disingenuous product may not make you happy when You could have purchased a Genuine Highest Quality Lambskin Jacket for around the same money.   Shop carefully.

SUEDE LEATHER :  Is the reverse layer of a Top-Grain or Genuine Leather Hide whose nap has been tanned and finished.  Real Suede is smooth on one side.   Split Leather can be processed to appear 'Suede-like' and often fools a lot of un-suspecting Consumers.  Its rough appearance on both sides usually gives it away if the Consumer is 'Suede Savvy'.  Generally, 'Suede Like' articles are found in low cost discount centers and are make from buff or scrap leather.   Real suede can be pricey while the imitators should be fairly low in cost and it should be noted that Suede is not as durable as Top Grain Leather.   If the Imitator is to high in price, reconsider your options.   If the Store's Help does not know the difference between Suede-Like and Real Suede, reconsider your shopping options.

EXOTIC LEATHERS : Ostrich, Alligator, Snake, Lizard, or any other strange animal-hide.  Often very expensive and sometimes illegal.  Everything depends on the processing and the Grain.   To often, Consumers are hooked into paying premium prices for poor grade exotic leather garments.  Legality can also play a role in this leather area.

DEER & ELK LEATHERS : An American Tradition.  If process correctly, a very wonderful and soft leather that can be made into almost any product.  Highly Desirable.  The trick here is to know the 'feel' of the leather when buying.  Top Grain Deer or Elk, tanned and finished correctly will be ultra soft and supple.  However, some Buff or Flank Hide Products do make it to Market.  Like any other leather, its Tanning & Process that really matters.  When buying work gloves you may not care to be so picky about the cut.  Some mass produced Flank Hide Leather Jackets are out there on the markets, but fail Consumers in durability and wear ability.  Some Deer & Elk Hides are shipped overseas for tanning and processing.  Some return good, some not so good.  If you desire the very best Deer or Elk Leather, it may be very important to know the Retailer/Seller and have a trusted relationship with them.   Another way to improve your purchases in this line of leather is to know a manufacturer in your local area, if one exists.  Then you can have confidence in buying good merchandise.