Pure Aniline Leathers

Cowhide, calfskin and bull hides can all be made into pure aniline leathers. Actually, that is just what they are, hides in their most natural state. Only dyes or waxes and are applied to the hides. To be a pure aniline leather no real finishing can take place, the hides are actually naked with only dyes used to color or waxes used to add patina or lustier and semi lock the surface.

When wax is added you can expect some movement throughout the hide and a lustier patina to the finish. Pure aniline leathers are soft and supple because they are milled or tumbled for hours to obtain their softness and exquisite hand. These leathers are the exception and premium. Only better leather furniture manufactures will offer these real premium pure aniline hide options. You can expect the hides to have all their natural markings remaining. Anything the cow encountered during its lifetime will be forever embedded in the hide of the animal. This is your new furniture! This is not viewed as a flaw, it’s the beauty. Your guarantee that you have purchased top grain cowhide of premium quality.

Everything You Need to Know About Pure Aniline Leathers

Consumers that appreciate soft rich leather who recognize and take the time to understand that pure aniline leather provides the same elegance, luxury and value as a fine silk or linen. The natural characteristic and color variations are to be expected with each and every piece of leather furniture.

Only 5% of hides are suitable to be used as a pure aniline. These are the hides that contain the least amount of range markings. But with that being said since hides are not man made you can expect to find somewhere on a hide perhaps wind burn, wrinkles, scratches or insect bites. Compare it to your skin over your lifetime. (You get it now!). Hides are as unique as a fingerprint no two are ever the same. These pure aniline hides will exhibit natural color variation due to leathers ability to accept dyes differently in the various areas of the hide. You can be assured that some of these mentioned will be present within your furniture somewhere because nothing furniture can be upholstered using just one leather hide. 

The Truth About Aniline Dyed Leathers

All ingredients that go into making a pure aniline leather are done through tumbling. Yes, like in a washing machine. Just as you add detergent, the dyes and waxes if applicable are added just like you would add detergent and softener. Aniline is just a word used in the industry as a term for transparent dyes that are used to color hides. Pure aniline leathers should not be placed in direct sunlight as over time the UV rays will begin a natural bleaching process that not only fades the hides but causes them to dry out and become ashy. Leather conditioner can reduce this process if applied in time. Just as your body tans the reverse happens with these hides, they become lighter as our skin becomes darker with exposer. The moisture content in a hide helps dictate where color is darker or lighter. Leather being a natural product is actually still breaths even on your furniture this is how it remains soft and supple for years. Pure aniline leathers are constantly removing moisture from the environment to replenish the hides keeping your leather sofa soft and luxurious for decades.

A pure aniline leather will change over time with spills and body oils, this is OK and should be expected. The real understanding of these hides is the key to loving the look through the years. Please just do not saturate with oil. If you do the spill will soak through the hide until it reaches the suede and if saturation continues then that oil has nowhere to go so it will begin to cause hairline cracks because that oil will travel back to the surface. The trick is not to saturate the surface of a pure aniline leather with oils. Just know if you drop a piece of pepperoni pizza face down on a pure aniline leather it will darken the area. This is also a selling feature for folks who love this look. Constantly changing or adapting to its environment but remember there is a fine line to avoiding the cracking due to dryness and oil saturation. If you use hand lotion and place your hands in the same exact spot each time you sit you can expect that where your hands touch for that area to become darker. Just as with some men and their oily heads or hair the same will occur on their back head pillow.

We buy leather for the low maintenance and the feature of it being allergy free. Just as designer dogs have become so popular because they do not shed. Poodle this and poodle that. Just as I love leather furniture I also love the poodles, we have two standards that come to the office every day and our designer Aussie Doodle. Low maintenance furniture and low maintenance pets. Both are perfect for our active lifestyle.

Pure Aniline Leathers Facts

Pure aniline leathers will age gracefully and provide years of beauty and comfort to whatever they are upholstered. There is nothing more luxurious than a sectional sofa upholstered using a pure aniline leather. It is a kind of silky satin feel that you just want your skin to touch skin to skin. Like a baby’s bum. 

These leathers will price on the higher side and only better upper middle to higher end furniture manufactures offer these types of leathers on their leather furniture sets.

So, the take away should be beauty does run skin deep. Pure aniline leathers take a piece of furniture up a notch from the ordinary. Anyone can have a leather sofa but not everyone can have a pure aniline leather sofa. This leather is not for the timid it’s for families that enjoy quality and natural beauty very much reserved for the special high end furniture shopper. It will bring a new obeisance and curve appeal to your home for decades.  To learn even more about leathers and leather furniture check out our Definitive Guide To Buying Leather Furniture...A Must Read!