DIFFERENT TYPES OF LEATHER USED FOR FOOTWEAR:

SYNTHETIC LEATHER:
PLASTIC LEATHER:
 Made from plastic materials
 A fabric layer is covered with a coat of plastic
 Gives a Glossy appearance
 It is very strong, durable and does not fade

PU LEATHER:
 Similar to plastic leather but it is combination of different synthetic fabrics
 Polyurethane is coated over a layer of polyester fabric
 It is very porous so it has high breathability
 It has a glossy look and durable but it is of low quality
 It is used for making Boots
 It has a good hand feel and comfortable touch, same as genuine leather.
 It is Eco-friendly
LEATHERETTE:
 It is a type of synthetic leather with plastic and fabric
 Plastic can be coated on both natural and Synthetic fabric
 It is very strong and requires very little maintenance
 It does not fade easily but it is not porous

BARTON PRINT MICROFIBRE LEATHER:

 Excellent tear strength and tensile strength, even better than genuine
leather
 Excellent chemical resistant properties
 Light weight, make your shoes more comfortable
 High usage ratio, can up to 100
 No defects, high-efficiency production
 Cost-effective, make your shoes more competitive
 Eco-friendly. No heavy metal, AZO free
MICROFIBER LEATHER- FAUX LEATHER:
 Tear resistance, abrasion resistance, tensile strength and so on are all beyond real
leather, and cold-resistant, acid proof, alkali-resisting, nonfading
 Light weight, soft, good breathability, smooth and good feeling, ad
tidy and free from wear facet
 Antibacterial, anti-mildew, mothproof, without any harmful substances,
very environmental, is the Green Products in the 21st century
 Easy to cut, high utilization rate, easy to clean, no odours. Eco-friendly and
Cost-efficient

ANIMAL LEATHER:
TYPES OF POPULAR ANIMAL LEATHER
CALF SKIN:
 Calf skin leather are obtained from calves usually older than 3 months
 Calves are not as mature as cows; their skins are much smoother and have less
markings and blemishes on them
 Calf skin leather is very strong due to the strong fibre structure
 It is highly valuable because of its softness
 It has good durability and requires less maintenance
 It can dye easily and so it has variety of colour options available
 Calf skin leather is widely used for making High quality men’s formal shoes
BOX CALF:
 It is the high-quality type of calf skin
 It is used for making premium men’s shoes

VEAL:
 It is similar to Calf skin but they are obtained from little older calves 6 to 12 months
 The leather is bit coarser and less smooth than calf skin
 It is usually used for casual shoes, boots

COWHIDE:

 Cowhide is not very different from calfskin they come from same animal but
cowhide comes from older cattle and is a by-product of the meat industry
 cowhide is thicker (about 1.6 to 2.5 millimetres) but goes through similar tanning
processes as calfskin
 The thickness and fibrous structure give the added strength
 It is an excellent material for work boots or shoes for rougher use
PIG SKIN:
 Pigskin usually comes from peccary, a type of mammal belonging to the pig
family species
 peccary leather is very thick but extremely soft and pliable. This makes it both
hard-wearing, comfortable and flexible
 It is very hard to damage although they do require maintenance It is Fashionable,
not extremely expensive, soft and durable, peccary leather is great for casual
shoes and it is used as lining for shoes

 It withstands moisture without stiffening

SUEDE

 Suede is made from the underside of the animal skin giving it a soft surface
 Suede is a fragile leather as they are prone to stains and it is not waterproof
 It is used for making casual shoes, sneakers. Suede’s smooth nap gives loafers,
slides, and boots an appealing appearance and structure
 Suede boots are especially popular for comfort and character
 Suede is also lighter than standard leather, while maintaining durability which
makes it good for footwear
 Suede comes from different animals and it is of different type such as cowhide suede,
sheepskin suede, Pigskin suede

COWHIDE SUEDE:
 This leather is made from the fleshy part of cows and calves
 It is the roughest form of suede
 It is used for making outdoor shoes and trekking shoes
SHEEPSKIN SUEDE:
 Suede that comes from sheep is the softest, especially if it comes from younger
lambs.
 It is also very delicate and has a velvety texture.
 It is light in weight than the other suede

PIGSKIN SUEDE:
 Pigskin suede is Coarser and tougher, it is a stiffer leather with a short nap.
 In comparison to other suedes, it is more durable and less prone to damage.
 For a better comparison, pigskin suede is more lightweight and less thick than
cowhide suede (0.4 to 1.6 mm (Pigskin Suede) vs 0.8 to 1.6 mm (Cowhide
suede))

CHAMOIS:
 Chamois or Shammy leather is made from the flesh part of the sheepskin
 Chamois is quite porous and goes through an extensive oil-tanning process
 It is soft with thinner nap and water absorbent
 It is quite hard-wearing and does not require shining
  It is used to make casual boots

NUBUCK:
 Nubuck is similar to suede but it comes from the outer layer of the cowhide or
calf skin
 Nubuck has a velvety look and appearance
 It is more durable and tough compared to suede
 It has much more resistance and water repellent
 It requires less maintenance

PULL UP:
 Pullup leather is obtained from horse skin and also cow hide
 This leather is heavily oiled and waxed
 The appearance of the leather is changed to a lighter colour if a spot of the
leather is pulled or pinched
 It has good durability and requires less maintenance
 It is used for making Casual boots
ROUGH OUT:
 It uses the rough flesh side of the hide on the outside, while the grain part
remains underneath
 It has more water absorbency but it is very durable
 It is used for making Work boots, Trekking boots

SCOTCH GRAIN:
 Scotch grain leather has an added embossed texture. The texture resembles
pebbles so it’s also known as pebble grain
 It is water resistant and durable
 It requires less maintenance just a light polishing of the shoes

VEGETABLE TANNED LEATHER

 Leather is made using vegetable tanning which uses organic tannins and natural
tannins
 Vegetable-tanned leather also has a distinctively sweet, woody fragrance
 It is an expensive leather due to the process involved so it is used for high end
products
 It requires more maintenance as they change colour due to weather conditions and by
ageing
  It is used for making Sneakers

PATENT
LEATHER:
 Patent leather uses complex lacquering method that smooths the exterior and give it a
high Gloss finish
 It is water repellent and it retains the soft texture
 It is used for making formal evening wear and it mostly comes in black colour for the
black-tie events
 It requires high maintenance as it is easily damaged by scratches

BUFFALO LEATHER:
 Leather is obtained from the skin of the buffalo
 It comes in a range of colours and finishes, characterised by rich, deep tones which
give it a striking appearance
 It has good tensile strength
 It is very comfortable and soft
 It has good durability and it is enough to withstand a lifetime of use
 It is used for making Outdoor shoes and trekking boots
EXOTIC AND UNUSUAL LEATHER:
ALLIGATOR & CROCODILE LEATHER:
 Alligator and crocodile Leather are made from four main species they are the
American Alligator, Caiman, Freshwater Crocodile, Saltwater Crocodile
 It is very strong and durable but it is difficult to stretch
 It is used for making luxury shoe products and it is very expensive
 Durability of the leather is good and it will last a lifetime if proper care is taken
 It is used for making regular shoes and boots

CAMEL LEATHER:
 The leather is scuff and scratch resistant with a little bit of texture but it is suede to
soften it up
 Camel hide has more fibres per cm so the leather is strong
 It is very durable and requires less maintenance

DEERSKIN LEATHER:
 Leather is made from the deer skin
but particularly made from elk’s deer
skin
 The leather is extremely soft and it is
prone to tear and scratches
 Leather is breathable so prevents the
feet from sweat but it is not
waterproof
ELEPHANT LEATHER:
 Elephant skin has a crackled, dullish, hard finish and is one of the most durable and
scuff resistant skins
 Elephant skin boots are much more comfortable and breathable

KANGAROO LEATHER:
 Kangaroo has a tightly woven skin structure consisting of closely intertwined fibers
running in all directions that makes it one of strongest leathers for its weight and
thickness. Kangaroo leather is strong, soft and the most comfortable leather
 Kangaroo is a very soft and flexible skin whose very high tensile strength allows it to
be made into a thinner and lighter weight boot
 It is very popular for durable footwear in the athletic industry
LIZARD LEATHER:
 Lizard leather comes from Iguanas, Tegus and the giant Komodo Dragons
 Lizard leather also has a nice sheen and uniformity and can take colour rather well
 The advantage of Lizard leather is that it looks a bit like crocodile and alligator but
costs much less
 Lizard leather is used to make every day boots or as a fine dress boot

OSTRICH LEATHER:
 Super strong due to its fibre structure (crossed instead of parallel)
 Ostrich leather is possibly the most recognizable type of shoe leather. This is due to
the visible bumps on the surface of the leather
 Soft, supple, durable and tough, rot and scuff resistant while at the same time resistant
to cracking and dryness
 It is rather expensive and makes excellent boots. Also, Careful selection of boots is
needed as it will not stretch too much
SHARKSKIN LEATHER:
 Sharkskin leather is the toughest, most abrasion and scratch resistant leather
 The surface has raised sections, which allow the skin to be dyed so that the higher-
textured areas will be lighter than the background producing a pleasing mottled effect
 Sharkskin has incredible tensile strength with long fibre structures and makes
excellent work boots
 Sharkskin boots have good water shedding properties but tend to be hotter on the foot
since they have less breathability than boots
 Sharkskin is hard to break in and not optimal for hotter weather

SNAKE LEATHER:
 Snake leather are made from various types of snakes but mostly python, boa,
anaconda, rattlesnake and water snake/sea snake
 snakeskin can be dyed to many fashion colorations. Natural colour snakeskin yellows
with age, similar to old newspaper, caused by ultraviolet sunrays. Dyed coloured
boots maintain their coloration
 Snakeskin boots can be either back cut to give the wide belly scales prominence on
the top of the boot or can be belly cut to give the smaller and distinctive pattern of the
snake's back prominence on the top of the boot
 Snakeskin boots are good for everyday urban wear or dress wear
STINGRAY LEATHER:
 Stingray leather is made from the Stingray fish with a very recognizable shape
 Stingray is available in multiple colours and has a marbled, gravel-like texture,
resembling thousands of tiny pebbles glued to a leather backdrop
 Stingray is one of the most scratch and abrasion resistant exotic leathers and is very
waterproof. It may feel stiff when first purchased but it will break-in to be very
comfortable in a few days

MACHINES USED FOR MANUFACTURING OF FOOTWEAR:

SEWING MACHINES USED FOR FOOTWEAR:
In the production of shoes, mostly the industrial high-speed sewing machines are used such
as flatbed, post bed and free-arm sewing machines are used. Automatic program controlled
sewing machines are also used.

Flatbed Sewing Machine

 It is used for Closing and attaching

seams
 It is used for decorative seams

Long-Arm Sewing Machine

 used for Decorative seams for

particularly wide pieces

Post-bed Sewing Machine

  For decorative and securing
 Used for seams on curved pieces
 Used for three-dimensional sewing

Free-Arm Sewing Machine

 For decorative and securing

 seams on curved pieces
 three-dimensional sewing

Roughing machine
 Roughing machine is used in the number of operations
of the footwear upper assembly
 It includes a roughing tool to remove material and hence
rough bonding surface of the footwear upper assembly
to provide a cementing surface onto which an outer sole
is later applied

Skiving machine
 Skiving is the process of reduction of thickness of the
material from grain or flesh side of material in order to
aid and eases the various closing operations at different
levels
 A layer of substance is removed under this process
without hampering the existing strength of the material.
 If we join or attach two components together without
any skiving, it doubles the substance and creates
problems for next operations to perform during shoe
making and cause discomfort to wearer

Binding machine
  Assembly and binding operations as well as decorative stitching in shoes

TYPES OF SEWING THREAD USED FOR FOOTWEAR:

1. Lubricated polyamide thread
 High Tenacity 100% Continuous Polyamide 6 Yarn is used on latest machines
 Exceptionally high abrasion resistance due to coating of specially formulated
bonding chemical

2. Nylon thread
 Nylon is the most popular thread used for sewing leather because it is strong,
inexpensive, and easy to sew
 Nylon thread are used in different sizes and 100's of colors depending on the shoe
colour and shoe material
 3. Polyester thread
 Polyester looks, feels and sews like nylon
 It is a better choice for outdoors shoes because of its sunlight (UV) and mildew
resistance

STITCH TYPE USED IN LEATHER FOOTWEAR:

In the production of shoes, mostly two types of stitches are used.
 stitch type 301 (double lockstitch)
 stitch type 304 (zig-zag stitch)
 stitch type 401 (double chain stitch)

Stitches are formed in different ways,

 Interlacing in the case of the double lockstitch
 zig-zag stitch in the middle of the material
 Interlooping in the case of the double chain stitch at the bottom side of the material
 Double lockstitch is used where the seam is visible at the bottom side of the material
BIBILOGRAPHY:
https://homequicks.com/synthetic-leather
http://www.townsendleather.com/leather/samples/product-lines/Soft-Suede-Cowhide-(SS)/?
swatch=135
https://www.lussoleather.com/pages/leather-color-swatches
https://support.westernoutlets.com/hc/en-us/articles/227446688-Types-of-Leathers
https://www.misiuacademy.com/types-of-shoe-leather-guide/
https://www.shoe-materials.com/product/96-barton-print-microfibre-leather-for-safety-shoes-
boots/
https://www.schmetz.com/mm/media/en/web/7_tochtergesellschaften/bilder_18/schmetz/pdfs
_4/sewing_focus/SewingFocus_22_3075-24_Schuhe_D.pdf
http://egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/26490/1/Unit-3.pdf