A comprehensive color palette and varied designs
Thanks to its natural look and feel, our skai® leather is almost indistinguishable from the real thing. But our imaginative designs create a surface that looks completely new and unique. The stock program includes imitation leather in different color ranges: from trendy imitation leather in red to classic imitation leather in black and fancy imitation leather in orange.
What is faux leather?
From an early stage, attempts have been made to produce leather imitations i.e., cheap and durable alternatives to temperamental and scarce real leather that were easily available by the meter. Artificial leather in the strictest sense has been around since the middle of the 20th century. It consists of at least two components: a textile substrate made of natural or synthetic fibers onto which a cover layer of colored plastic is laminated on a PU or PVC base.
Faux vs. real leather
Real leather is one of the oldest cultural goods manufactured by humans. As far back as the Stone Age, it was used as clothing, protection, containers, and more. Natural leather is obtained from animal skins in a complex process. To render it pliant and durable, it is mechanically and chemically processed.
Artificial leather, on the other hand, is a synthetic leather imitation that can be industrially manufactured in any quantity to be sold by the meter. Material properties, appearance and texture can be endlessly varied: from the popular patterns of a wide variety of natural leathers to textile fabric textures including seams and stitching, right through to custom technical embossing.
Advantages of faux leather
The obvious advantage of artificial leather is that it contains no animal components, and therefore meets the requirements for vegan textiles. In addition, every roll of artificial leather has exactly the same properties and can be produced in qualities, colors and finishes that rarely or never occur in nature: from black to copper, brown, ochre, slate gray, mustard yellow or moss green. In terms of its look and feel, artificial leather is almost impossible to distinguish from real leather. And when it comes to ease of care and robustness, artificial leather is even further ahead! Unlike real leather, it cannot be damaged by UV radiation or moisture. It doesn’t fade, or become brittle or stained. With careful maintenance, artificial leather still looks almost new, even years later.
Last but not least, artificial leather is a particularly sustainable material: vegan, durable, and in many cases partly recycled, thanks to innovative substrates.
Processing skai® faux leather
Faux leather can be manufactured, transported, stored, and processed in large rolls to be sold by the meter. Imitation leather is more economical and quicker to manufacture than real leather; less trimming is required during processing. Artificial leather can be cut, pinned, sewn, nailed, or glued, easily and safely. Depending on the product and application, our skai® artificial leather can also be pulled around curves and edges.
How is skai® faux manufactured?
An elastic cover layer made of PU or PVC plastic is applied to a substrate made of synthetic fibers on large machines, after which the foam layer is applied. This is followed by surface embossing of the leather imitation: cowhide, ostrich or creative embossing – almost everything is possible and is even part of the skai® standard repertoire. Finally, a transparent protective layer protects the surface from dirt, abrasion and UV radiation.
Faux leather – cleaning and maintenance
Faux leather is an extremely easy-to-clean upholstery material. In most cases, all that’s needed is to wipe the surface with a warm, mild soap solution and a microfiber cloth, and then dry it. A soft hand brush can also be used for heavier soiling. In contrast to open-pored real leather, leather imitation is not harmed by juice or even red wine stains, once the mark is immediately wiped off the fabric. In situations where artificial leather upholstery is subject to heavy-duty use, for example in the catering trade, the innovative staynu coating ensures unrivalled resistance to soiling – even a permanent marker stain can be easily removed!
How can I buy skai® faux leather?
skai® artificial leather can be ordered directly from us for orders above a certain quantity. You can also order artificial leather samples online beforehand, with no commitment. Our sales staff will be happy to advise you. Just call or email us!
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