8 min read
Here at Junyuan leather co. we are proud to work with lamb leather and offer our customers such high end handmade leather bags. But what is it about lamb leather that is so special after all?
When browsing the Junyuan Leather Co. shop, you will notice that some of our items are made of soft lamb leather, such as our best selling Soft Leather Tote Bag. There are many unique characteristics that make the leather tote such a favorite and the ultimate must-have, but amongst them we must give a special shout out to that gorgeous lamb leather!
So maybe you’re asking yourself what is it about lamb leather that is so great? What are the differences between lamb and cow hides for instance? And is an item like the Tote really so much better in lamb leather? Well, helping you learn about leather goods and informing conscious buying decisions is what we’re here for! So lets start from the top:
What is lamb leather?
Lamb leather, or sheep leather, is the hide derived from sheep once the fur is removed for the production of wool. If the fur is left intact, the final hide is then called sheepskin, or shearling.
What makes lamb leather different?
Lamb leather has many special properties that make it different and ideal for certain kinds of leather goods.
Let’s begin with feel. Lamb leather is extremely soft and silky to the touch, hence our Soft Leather Tote’s name. Lamb leather’s velvety and delicate texture makes it ideal for the creation of more delicate items such as the tote, our Crossbody Pouch, or our Foldover Clutch Handbag. So consider our soft tote bag again: imagine this is your go-to everyday bag, you simply take it everywhere (after all, that’s what it is made for!). Its buttery softness makes it all the more comfortable to carry, as the straps fall smoothly on your shoulder and the body of the bag feels creamy against your skin.
Hand in hand with its softness, is our lamb leather’s incredible flexibility. Lamb leather is naturally more stretchy than cow leather and with all that added smoothness in texture, a bag made from lamb leather is super flexible and malleable. The Soft Leather Tote molds into the shape that is appropriate to what is being carried that day. If your bag is full, it contains all your belongings easily, and when more empty the bag naturally bends and folds into a more compact shape, which also shows off all the gorgeous shades of the patina that only vegetable tanned leather can offer – but we will get to that in a second. Even better: the leather tote can be folded and rolled up to be stowed away neatly and easily when needed. This also means it is super easy to travel with as it won’t take up much space in your luggage or cabin bag. No headaches when packing for that long awaited holiday!
That flexible and soft quality of lamb leather also makes it perfect for the creation of our Convertible Clutch Handbag. The bag is so malleable that the foldover top naturally falls into place with no crease or mark left on your leather. The inside of this gorgeous leather is also pristine suede that is so pleasant to the touch!
What if you want an item that is soft to the touch but structured, not slouchy like the Tote? Well, not to worry. Take our Crossbody Pouch for instance, which is made of lamb leather but still holds a nice structured box shape. We are able to achieve this saddle bag style using production techniques such as piping, which is stitching the item from the inside and creating a sort of leather boarder, and the use of interior lining. So as you see, there’s really not much lamb leather can’t do, if it’s done right!
Finally, another great feature of sheep leather is how extremely lightweight it is! So even though our Oversized Leather Tote is so large, it is still super light. This means carrying it is comfortable and easy, as is packing it away in your luggage.
Does lamb leather look different?
Now you know that lamb leather feels different from the traditional cow leather, but does it look any different? Yes, it does. The softness of the leather results in a bit of a different, smoother look. The leather made from lambskin has a finer grain, which is why it is thinner, softer, more supple and generally more flexible than cow leather. This also gives it a noticeably smooth, even appearance that look great on leather handbags and clothing, which is one reason why lamb leather is so often used by luxury brands.
Why is lamb leather so prestigious?
Like anything considered a luxury, lamb leather is simply more rare. Cowhide is available in abundance all over the world due to the consumption of beef and excesses in the food industry. As a result, cowhide is much more affordable when compared to other types of animal hides used to make leather products. So you have a better idea, nearly 70% of the leather products found on the market are made from cow leather. Simply put, its sparseness along with its incredibly quality means lamb leather is more expensive for both customers and producers. This is why most often, lamb leather will only be offered by luxury brands at hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
So how does Junyuan offer lamb leather items at such a fair price? We maintain close knit relationships with very traditional tanneries who supply us with the highest quality leather and, most importantly, we handcraft all our items ourselves, in our own workshop. This means no middle man or extra markups to justify costs of big factories. It is important to us to be able to offer such high quality and prestigious pieces to customers at an affordable price.
How is Junyuan’s lamb leather treated?
Just like every other Junyuan Leather Co. bag, our lamb leather items such as the Overnight Zipper Tote or the Crossbody Tote are 100% handmade with vegetable tanned leather. This means that our hides, cow or lamb, are tanned using vegetable based oils and are completely chemical-free. Among the various tanning methods, vegetable tanning is the most traditional, natural and Earth-friendly. Vegetable tanned leather also tends to get better over time and develop a rich patina with use. Remember when we mentioned that the softness and malleability of our lamb leather would really show off the Soft Leather Tote’s patina and deep shades? This is what we were talking about! You simply cannot achieve such a natural and gorgeous effect with chrome tanned leather or (even less so) stopped or painted leather.
Read more about vegetable tanned leather to know all the details about this traditional and authentic tanning method.
What about durability?
It cannot be denied that a softer and thinner leather such as sheep leather is going to be a bit more delicate and should be handled with care. Cow hides are naturally thicker and can sustain a bit more ware and tear, there is simply no way around that fact. This is why our more heavy duty items such as our Handmade Leather Duffles are made with cow leather.
However, all Junyuan Leather Co. items are meant to last and, just like vegetable tanning, all our products are made from full grain leather. We have a great blog post all about full grain leather that you can read, but to put it simply: full-grain leather is the outer layer or top-most layer of the hide which contains all of the natural and unique characteristics compiled throughout the animal’s lifetime – is the crème de la crème of leather grades! Full-grain leather is no doubt the strongest and most durable as it leaves all of those tightly knit natural fibers intact during the tanning process. Thus, even if so delicately soft, lamb leather when full-grain and vegetable tanned is a very high quality and durable material. In fact, a lamb skin cannot get any more durable than that – we work exclusively with this leather grade and tanning process for a reason!
One must always remember though, regardless of this incredible quality, treat your leather bags with love and care. If you’re not sure how to, we have an article with tips on how to best care for your leather goods.
Remember that soft leather tote we can’t get enough of?
So now do you see why its even better in lamb leather? An item like our best-seller Leather Tote Bag when made from full-grain vegetable tanned lamb leather will be: soft to the touch, light as a feather, foldable and flexible, develop a lovely patina, have the highest possible durability, absolutely gorgeous, and definitely prestigious. And if you decide to get yours here at Junyuan, all of that will be at an unbelievably affordable price. Seems almost too good to be true. Almost!
We hope this article helped you learn more about lamb leather so that you can be better informed when shopping for leather goods, here or anywhere else! If you want o leather more about leather grades, tanning and production techniques, tips and tricks, or Junyuan launches, make sure to check out our blog and follow us on Instagram!
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