Nowadays it is difficult to know if a shoe is made of real leather, synthetic leathers have entered the world of footwear with great force and, sometimes, it is difficult to differentiate them from natural ones at first glance.
The first thing you may ask yourself is: why should I choose leather footwear? What is the difference between leather and synthetic leather? Well, the first advantage that leather footwear offers us is that its quality and resistance are higher and its appearance is more attractive.
On the other hand, leather footwear is much more breathable: something that avoids possible bad smells or discomfort due to excessive sweating. It adapts better to your foot, it is always trendy and you will notice the quality over time, they will look the same as the first day.
At HEE we can say that all our shoes are made with genuine leather of the highest quality. Therefore, with these tips you will be able to perfectly know if the shoes are made of real leather; you can check it with our shoes ;)
LOOK AT THE TEXTURE
When it comes to genuine leather, it is totally normal that we can appreciate the textures. If you notice that the surface is smooth or has no texture, you are probably not looking at a natural leather shoe. Shoes made with natural leather usually have creases in some areas, these can be noticed when you try on the shoes or walk in them.
SMELL
Natural leather has a very characteristic smell, especially at the beginning. Synthetic shoes give off the smell of chemicals or plastic, all materials that are used to achieve a leather-like effect. So now you know, as soon as you open the box of your shoes, you will be able to tell if they are made of natural leather or not.
LOOK AT THE LABEL
All leather shoes have some kind of document/label/sticker somewhere that ratifies their authenticity as well as providing all the information about the leather they are made of. For example, if you look at the bottom of our boxes, they all contain all the necessary information so that you can see that our leathers are 100% natural and quality.
CHECK THE CONDITION OF ITS SHAPE
This consists of carrying out the toe test, which will help you to know if the shoe is genuine leather. To carry out this test, you will have to press the softest part of the shoe and you will notice how it sinks and small wrinkles form around the area you have pressed.
When you remove your finger, you will see how the shoe returns to its original shape without leaving any marks at all. On the other hand, when we do this with synthetic leather shoes, you will notice the sensation that you are pressing on something plastic, not very natural.
THE PRICE OF THE SHOES
Understandably, leather shoes are more expensive. Why? Quite simply: the processes that natural leather undergoes, the labour and time involved in making a genuine leather shoe is reflected in the price. Therefore, if the price of a leather shoe is too cheap when you buy it, alarm bells may ring.
As you can see, wearing natural leather shoes offers many advantages. Knowing how to recognise a genuine leather shoe may seem difficult at first, as nowadays imitations are many and very good, but following these tips, it will not be difficult to recognise them.
