And I gotta say, sometimes it’s hard to TELL the difference, ya know? Like, these “cowhide Hey Dudes” are all the rage, but are they *really* cowhide? I dunno. It’s a gamble. I’ve seen some that look pretty darn convincing, and others that scream “I’m plastic and I’m proud!” from a mile away.
The thing is, genuine leather – *real* cowhide – has this kinda… depth to it. Like, if you look close, there’s probably some tiny little lines, the kind they talk about with “fetal cowhide” (kinda creepy sounding, right?). Faux leather, especially that PU leather stuff (polyurethane, I think it is), it’s just…flat. Smooth. Too perfect, almost. And yeah, it might be considered “vegan,” but I’m personally kinda suspicious of anything that’s trying *too* hard to be something it isn’t.
I mean, don’t get me wrong, sometimes you *want* the faux. Like, if you’re gonna be sloshing through mud or something, you probably don’t want to ruin a perfectly good pair of real leather boots. But if you’re shelling out serious cash, you wanna know you’re getting the *real* deal, right?
And that’s where things get tricky. Because some of these manufacturers are getting REALLY good at imitating leather. You gotta look closely, feel it, maybe even *smell* it (real leather has a very distinct smell). And even then, you might get duped. Especially if you’re buying online.
I saw something about ostrich leather the other day, and it said the same thing – it’s hard to tell the real from the fake. So, like, what’s a shoe-lover to do?
