What you should know about leather
furniture ..... from Splits & Bi-Cast to aniline &
full grain; some essential leather information & advice......
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THE
LEATHER CONTROVERSY
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Some essential
information and advice for those contemplating purchasing leather
furniture.
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"I
have the distinct suspicion that Bi-cast has been created solely to deceive. Because of the leather connotation it is positioned higher in
the market & can hence command a higher selling price. It's
strange how you rarely see it sold other than at 'special' or 'sale'
price."
For
18 months I have been challenging the leather industry, furniture manufacturers
and furniture resellers to justify their usage of what is often described as 'bi
cast', (or 'bi-cast leather'). In that time I have received a large number
of emails from disatisfied purchasers but NONE whatsoever from the industry
sectors defending themselves, giving evidence for their claims or in any way
countermanding my arguments which conclude that 'bi-cast' is not, and should not
be described as, 'leather'. If it is OK for JC Penney to postulate that 'bi-cast
leather' is "leather .... coated with polyurethane for extra durability"
(source:
jcpenney.com) and if they truly believe this, then customers should be able
to demand a
minimum five year warranty (which is the least they should expect on genuine
leather purchases).
Search
for 'bi cast leather' and this page ranks highly with most (all?)
major search engines. To the best of my
knowledge, it is the only source of information based upon scientific analysis
and informed opinion. It is now receiving a substantial visitor count yet still
no counter arguments have been put forward. (Here's a challenge, JC
Penney!) I have no arguments against the use of polyurethane (pu) for
upholstery; but I do have when it is being called leather with over inflated
performance claims at excessive prices.
A fully upholstered dining chair in
bi-cast can land in NZ ex China for under US$55! "PU Leather" is being
offered by one Indonesian manufacturer at US$1.00 per linear metre for 50 metre
rolls. Since when have cows come in such lengths!?
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New Zealand Commerce
Commission
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recent opinion:
"Commission reminds traders - Claims
of 100% leave no room for ambiguity when making absolute claims about
the composition of their products.......
The Commission is concerned about
misrepresentations made by traders about the composition of products
..... Under the Fair Trading Act it is imperative that all claims made
as to nature and content of a product are of the highest levels of
accuracy.
..... recently, the Commission
investigated claims being made in the leather industry following
complaints about retailers that have been selling look-alike part
leather products as though they were genuine leather.
....The most recent issue (concerns) ....
a composite product where a synthetic layer is applied to the leather
split ...... (and) then printed to make it look like genuine leather.
Director of Fair Trading, Deborah
Battell, said the Commission considers that representing these
look-alike products as '100% leather', 'genuine leather', or as simply
'leather' may mislead consumers about the real nature of the product
they are purchasing........
Ms Battell said the Commission
understands that some of the issues with labelling have arisen because
of tolerances allowed in some voluntary industry standards. In the
Commission's view, the need to label accurately under the Fair Trading
Act overrides any permissable standard or labelling tolerances specified
in any voluntary standard. (My italics.)
..... A consumer should be able to make
an informed decision based on factual information. Anything else could
amount to a breach of the Fair Trading Act, which can attract fines of up
to $200,000.
The above are excerpts from a recent
(August 2004) Commission newsletter. To view in full see: :http//www.comcom.govt.nz/FairTrading/commissionremindstr1.aspx
In light of the continuing sale
of composite leather products, I think the above gives a very clear
warning to the furniture trade & disposes of the International
Council of Tanners 1983 definition for leather (see
explanation below) having any application in NZ (& aligns us
with France in this respect).
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Beware
inaccuracies and blatant falsehoods on TRADEME.
A number of traders are
importing both lounge & dining furniture and describing it as
leather when it is patently obvious it is not. In one case an importer
claims to have a certificate from America stating they are genuine
leather. When I query this he says they are genuine leather with a
polyurethane coating! And to make matters worse they are inflating
the supposed retail price, in one case by over 250%.
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Some
Asian bull...:
Late
in 2004 I was approached by a Singapore based company with Chinese
manufacturing facilities seeking buyers for chairs of the style pictured
below. I was advised that they were covered in "semi-aniline
leather" and were incredibly cheap!. I was naturally enthusiastic
so responded with a request for leather samples which duly arrived by
courier.
The
'leather' was what is now being sold as "bi-cast". A very thin
synthetic layer (Polyurethane) of less than .01mm covered a .4mm layer of rubber
adhesive and was backed with a reconstituted leather composite of
1.1mm. The surface was easly removed by scratching with thumb nail
in a matter of seconds!!
When
I responded to the supplier, advising what I knew of the leather they
sent, I was told that this was their most popular leather style in
Europe and they thought we would therefore likewise want it.
To
me this illustrates that the problem in large part emanates from Asia;
the competition worldwide is such that suppliers will sink to blatant
misinformation and that consumers worldwide are being duped, in some
cases, by retailers who themselves are ignorant of the true nature of
the product.
 The
" leather" sample with part of its skin (polyurethane) removed
AND
some local bull....A
recent case locally, where clearly the retailer was aware ... a large
sum (several thousand dollars) was paid to a customer who, after
speaking with me, insisted on knowing what type of leather they had
purchased on their lounge suite. Sold to them as 'genuine leather', they
were then told it was in fact 'bi-cast'. The payment was made in
'compensation' ("hush" money!)
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AND SOME AMERICAN BULL ....are US consumers really this gullible??!!
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Pictured right is a fairly typical 'bi-cast' look
furniture grouping selling for US$2,799.99 by a US based on-line
furniture reseller. They give the following description:
"The contemporary Paris collection features a polished bi-cast leather with a rich sheen.
The wax tannage will continue to burnish and polish, becoming even more vogue with time.* The deep, chocolate brown color has contrast welts to define the sleek seams. Enjoy upscale styling with seating that is remarkably conforming.
Bi-cast leather is 100% split leather with a durable polyurethane film coating** that offers a high, glossy sheen while displaying a regular grain pattern. Bi-cast leather is great for every day use and is less susceptible to staining due to the polyurethane film coating."
* Bold letters are mine; clearly this is hogwash!
** So it is NOT 100% split leather!
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AND for what it's worth ....amongst
the items debated by past employees(?) of collapsed furniture retailer
Courts (Harveys) one of the opinions offered includes the following::
"Harveys has no Quality Control dept. to speak of. Over the last 18 months over £4M worth of bi-cast leather upholstery has been delivered to consumers. This type of product does not meet necessary useage requirements, and it
is highly likely that all these products will have to be replaced in the next 12
months". see http://boards.fool.co.uk/Message.asp?mid=8964160&sort=whole#top
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Food
for thought:
"The
leather sector needs more transparent and clear legislation as well as
recognition of its performance through a label of origin system that
should identify the different components of finished leather products.
.......The challenges are there, but the mood of the tanneries indicated
that they have already played their part—now the EU institutions need
to play theirs."
Source:
www.leatherbiz.com Conclusions
from a European Conference of leather interested parties in May 2004; to
discuss the future of EC leather industries. |
INTERNATIONAL
VISITORS: "WELCOME"
We
are receiving a very high number of site visits, many from overseas,
largely due (I suspect) to Google search results for "bi cast
leather" or similar. I would really appreciate your comments, your
experiences etc., whether you are trade or a member of the public.
Whatever your bias, do, please tell. To view some comments click |
| And more food
for thought: As I state elsewhere on this page, little is known
(in a technical sense) about the durability of what I will term
the "new" leathers (Bi-cast, reconstituted and splits). But
consider this: The glues used in bonding the various elements of these
sandwich construction leathers require solvents for curing
purposes. Iinstances of the polyurethane surface of bi cast breaking
down to a sticky mess are almost certainly a result of these solvents
continuing to cure. The reaction to the solvents is ehanced by heat and, perhaps, body and
hair oils so the areas of likely breakdown are where there is direct
contact with body heat and sunlight (or artificial heat).
Anyone experiencing this problem needs to know that my expert advisor
who has been in the tanning and leather repair industry for in excess of
30 years knows of no way to solve the problem just as he cannot repair
surface wear to splits. But he confesses that despite so long in the
leather business he has great difficulty recognising splits and
reconstituted leathers from the 'real thing'. And he strongly supports
my contention that all leather furniture should have strict labelling
regulations so that the public can make an informed judgement. |
If
you are in the market for new leather furniture, you are probably a little
bemused (or confused) by the enormous disparity of price points. 2 & 3 piece
lounge suites from as little as NZ$1595 (US$990) & fully upholstered 7 piece dining
suites from NZ$1699 (US$1,050). These have all been advertised as being "100% Genuine
Leather", "genuine cow hide", "all leather ... no
vinyl" or just plain "leather".
As
was shown on the item on Holmes (NZ's leading daily TV Current Affairs programme
at the time), there are instances of these claims being
absolutely false; the so-called leather was no more than polyurethane with
synthetic backing. Other
instances turned out to be a product known internationally as
"bi-cast". Whilst the term 'bi-cast' is not one that has been
used here nor in the USA for that matter, (so, for the time-being at least is meaningless) it is one which will
very soon become commonplace*, so I believe. But it needs to be understood.
* As has been pointed out by
Tom, an American correspondent, the 'bi-cast' term is now (September 2005) becoming commonplace
and his advice led me thru' a Google search to the site from which I have quoted
above under the heading "And some American bull". October 2005: Yahoo!
now gives over 1 million results for the keywords "bi-cast leather".
In plain terms it is very simply a process which involves the bonding of
polyurethane film to a leather 'split' (or some other suede like backing -
possibly re-constituted from leather & suede waste or 100% polyester
micro-fibre suede which can be treated in order to smell like leather). This picture copied from a recent
edition of NZ House & Garden magazine shows exactly how most 'bi-cast' chairs appear
- glossy and dark brown or black. They feel 'plasticy' but they may smell slightly of
leather.
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Chairs such as these in
bi-cast but claiming to be leather are being sold for as much as US$300,
seven or eight times their manufacturer cost & covered in
"leather" which would contribute as little as $1.20 to each
chair's cost. |
To
explain this further it will help to understand the basics of the different leather
terms and types available:
The
universal understanding of what is "leather" can be termed very simply
as something natural and, I think, something which is very hard wearing,
usually expensive and 'up-market' ... a premium product. To misquote one regular
furniture company advertiser, "Something this good should not be so
cheap!" How right!
ANILINE: Only the very best quality hides are used in the making of these, the most
natural looking/feeling of all leathers. And the most expensive. They are dyed
through and hand finished with natural oils and waxes. The downside is their
practicality ... they are prone to fading and staining/marking so extra care and
ongoing treatments with special aniline leather care kits are advisable. If you
can afford this type of leather the purist will tell you there is no
alternative. A good example of aniline leather is 'Settler' from Wanganui
tannery, Tasman Tanning Co.
SEMI-ANILINE:
Similar to the above but may also have some light pigmented surface finishing
and the addition of a soil resistant application. Slightly less natural/more
user friendly.
FULL
GRAIN PIGMENTED: The best quality hides so the grain features are as
nature intended but heavily surface finished to provide
more user friendly qualities.
CORRECTED
GRAIN: Practical and relatively inexpensive, compared with Aniline. But
still the top grain of the hide so has all the tough attributes of the actual
animal skin. The most popular of leathers tanned and imported in NZ by virtue of
price and easy after care attributes. Uses cheaper hides which may be badly
marked by barbed wire, stretching, insect damage, branding marks, etc. Hides need extensive
repair (correction), pigment finishes and patterning. Common versions of
corrected grain are Tasman's Urban range and Australian tannery Gosh's Tennant
range.
And
now the villains, shams and scams:
SPLITS:
Not produced for upholstery in NZ and, to the best of my knowledge, not imported in hide form
by any major importer (although may be imported by individual lounge furniture
manufacturers). Most prevalent on imported lounge suites, office chairs, dining
chairs etc. which mainly originate from Italy, China & Thailand. Expert
opinion will tell you that Splits should not be used on surfaces subject to
heavy wear. Lifespan is probably very short ... if anyone can disprove this with
wear test reports let me know. Can be very cheap ...even less than cheap
vinyls with an approximate retail price of $24 per linear metre! Technology has
enabled companies to split hides horizontally to give up to four usable 'hides',
the outside being the top grain (full grain) hide used in all four categories
above and the remaining three can be reprocessed as upholstery splits or used as
suede in the fashion & footwear industries.
BI-CAST:
Splits or, more likely, other forms of imitation suede which have polyurethane (PU) skin bonded. Can be very cheap but
also in some cases more expensive than
all-leather based Splits but despite what is claimed by resellers not much has been made known about their
qualities (see my opinions at top). The look is mostly very
glossy, dark brown or black with a regular grain pattern ... and cream as well. Now, not allowed to be
termed leather in NZ. It is for you to decide where you want
to stand on the issue but from what I know & have been told, you would be
better advised to pick a 100% non-leather such as "Lustrell Classic",
55% Polyurethane with a polycotton backing which has the identical look of
Bi-cast but with a proven heavy duty performance rating.
I have the
distinct suspicion that 'Bi-cast' has been created soley to decieve. Because of
the leather connotation it is perceived to be more 'up-market' & can hence
command a higher selling price. (Its strange how, in NZ at least, you rarely see it sold at
other than 'special' or 'sale' price.) The name 'bi-cast' has no meaning for the
general public; yet it is in very widespread usage if the Google/Yahoo etc.
search results are any indication. So why not describe it as what it actually
is: 'Polyurethane'?
Does it matter what the backing material is? I am certain that if, as is the
case in NZ, it cannot legally be described as leather, manufacturers would not
bother laminating any backing other than that which is most beneficial to the
quality of the end product which is most likely a Polyester blend or some other
Polymer formulation.
RECONSTITUTED LEATHER: "Material composed of collagen fibers obtained from macerated hide pieces, which have been constructed into a fibrous
mat". This looks like suede and can be made to smell like leather but
according to Shulz Shoecare it "most probably has a place somewhere in
the world, but not if the consumer is intent on purchasing a product that is
high in quality, and expected to provide many years of uncomplicated usage.
'Bonded leather' has no strength..." See http://www.lm.net.au/~schulz/shoecare.htm.
Both the NZ Commerce Commission and the Australian
equivalent have ruled absolutely that materials utilising the product can not be
described as leather (a 2001 ruling where belts were the subject). Manufacturers
of this type of non-leather are widespread and include France, Italy, Eastern
Europe, the Middle East as well as India and China.
A recent announcement from the USA announces a
"strategic partnership to produce a sustainable, regenerated leather product. This effort utilizes by-products from leather product waste streams."
The end result is a product they are calling Dilusso(TM) which has had initial
applications in the automotive industry (one assumes as car seat coverings) and
for which they are exploring other applications.
I have every support for companies who use waste
products in creative ways but if, like the case of reconstituted leather, the
end product is marketted in a deceptive manner (can anyone show me an example of
it having been marketted any other way?) then clearly I do have a problem which I
am sure I share with the vast majority.
The International Council of Tanners
(ICT) stipulate that any composition with more than .15mm of synthetic cannot be
described as leather. Tests which we arranged through the NZ Leather & Shoe
Research Association in Palmerston North (LASRA) showed only one in five made
this cut-off point. However, this successful one, with a surface of only .035 to
.045mm thickness suggested that the PU skin would have a very short lifespan. It
would appear to be the case that the thicker skinned 'non-leather' leathers
would likely last longer than the thin skinned 'leather' leathers.
A
little more on the 'real thing': it may be helpful to know that leathers have two
basic tanning methods - vegetable and metal salt. Vegetable (or bark) tanning
use naturally tannin high materials (such as bark) which cleanse and seal the
pores of the skins and have been used throughout history. These are used in
making saddles, belting etc.
A
probably useless bit of information: If you're out in the bush and get insect
stung make your own astringent by chewing a piece of bark (pine bark from an old
tree is particularly good) which will extract the tannins and then apply to the skin.
(Don't blame me if you get poisoned but do tell me if you have any experience
such as this!)
Chromium
salts (or alum salts) are the other method and are that used by all tanneries
producing upholstery leathers.
Armed
with this information, you should be better equipped to discover exactly what
you are buying (or being sold). (For a more extensive explanation of terminology
used in the leather tanning industry click.)
Don't be fooled by expensive price tags
suggesting that it must be of high quality. I have had an incident reported of a
bi-cast leather 2 piece suite costing $11,500. (To make matters worse, it has
now been reported to me that the cushion cover surfaces on this suite are
breaking down and this is less than one year after purchase!) And if you believe that country of
origin is important, insist on getting the information and don't be fooled by
vague terms. eg 'Italian made' could mean made by an Italian registered company
in China. So, if it matters to you, insist on 'Made in Italy'. '100% Italian made leather furniture' could
be meaning the leather is Italian made but the furniture could be made
elsewhere.
And of course don't assume that 'Made in Italy' implies anything more than that.
As I showed with an Italian made chair on Holmes, they are
capable of making crap as well as any Asian producer.
So,
the advice I have is:
1.
Ask for country of origin.
2. Insist on knowing the type of leather; & are there any imitation leathers
used.
3. What is the warranty on the frame & leather (2 years is the minimum
in N.Z. under the terms of The Consumer Guarantees Act).
4. Get the answers in writing; i.e.. get
a written quote, take it away and consider the offer.
The old favourite of
'limited stock at this price' etc. are merely hurry up lines to encourage you to
close the sale, so think carefully and compare.
If it seems cheap, is split or
bi-cast and has only a two year warranty, but looks great, sits well enough and you are
not concerned whether it is 'genuine leather' or not, then go for it; If you
want something to last don't.... In this case, buy NZ Made if that option
exists & the price is comparable, get a 10 year frame
warranty from a reputable manufacturer and retailer and ,perhaps,pay a little bit more.
Whether the leather be from Gosh, Tasman, Unique, Instyle or Astley's (or probably any other NZ
based distributor/tanner) they will stand by their product.
Whilst there is an
ever increasing range of options to buy expensive imported made-up furniture options, mostly with
Italian names, you are entering a minefield. As in most areas of business,
dubious practises exist; inaccurate product descriptions, excessive margins and
false pricing claims are some examples ('were $595, now $295' for example, or:
'RRP $4,000, this weekend only, $1,999' which then appears the following weekend
and the following...).
Should
you have any problems or comments, do let me know: info@mainlychairs.co.nz
Or let the Consumers Institute: Susan@consumer.org.nz
and/or The Commerce Commission: Sarah.Boggs@comcom.govt.nz
Afterthought: Talk to any upholsterer who
has had to repair imported lounge suites and you will learn some harsh realities
about corner cutting to achieve cost cutting! One classic I was recently advised
of was the use of strips of rubber from old car tyre as the springing system in
a lounge suite. They did not last even 6 months! And one of Parnell's largest
licensed eateries where all of the over 100 dining chairs started falling apart
after timber shrinkage and required exterior metal plates in what is likely to
be a (futile?) attempt to remedy the problem.
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With one of the offending chairs
where the packaging
behind stated (in German) that it
was covered in imitation leather. |
news media: this issue needs all the support, column
inches and air time.
Please feel free to use this information or go to Press
Release attached.
And examples of correspondence from far and wide click
Or call me (Richard Stevens) anytime for further
information on 027 5605336
For a more detailed glossary of terms used in the leather
industry see: http://www.irvingtanning.com/leather_glossary.htm
For further information or advice please
contact me on: info@mainlychairs.co.nz
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Mainly
Chairs
027
5605336 |
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