Leather accessories have always been sought-after due to their durability and elitism. Exotic leather is even more prestigious because of its rarity. When it comes to rare and valuable types of leather, ostrich leather leads the pack. Why? Keep reading to find it out.
Different Types of Ostrich Leather
Ostrich leather is known for its unique feathering and workability, although the workmanship, and especially tanning, is quite complex. Full of natural oils, ostrich skin offers excellent resistance to desiccation, cracking, and stiffness.
The appearance of this exotic leather is so distinct that you can easily recognize it from the counterparts. The skin taken from the dorsal and breast parts of the bird is smooth and strewn with bumps, which are follicles forming at the base of the feather trunk. Leg skin doesn’t feature these bumps but it offers its own unique scaly texture. Overall, only 1/3 of ostrich hide has follicles. At the same time, this bumpy pattern is what makes ostrich leather so precious. The more follicles it displays, the higher the price. Interestingly, every ostrich has a constant number of follicles on its body throughout its life. For this reason, the skin of a young individual is going to have a denser pattern than that of a fully grown-up bird.
Back and chest leather is utilized to craft de-luxe ostrich wallets. Along with that, it can be seen in jackets, raincoats, skirts, gloves, briefcases, bags, shoes, belts, and furniture upholstery. Ostrich leg leather, for its part, is a great choice for the manufacture of shoes, belts, and bags.
Since the dorsal skin is the most sought-after but it makes up a small portion of the hide, it is significantly more expensive than genuine cowhide leather. Items featuring this exotic material carry the vibe of luxury and exclusivity.
Properties of Ostrich Leather
This type of leather gets to blend a variety of unique features. Despite being on the thicker side, it is amazingly soft, extremely durable, and supple. Unlike ostrich leathers, others may become hard and if that happens it may result in cracks. Good thing we got the best ways to soften leather to prevent unwanted damages to your leather. Ostrich leather products will last for a few decades (and now compare it with cowhide that will look great for only 5-6 years). On top of that, ostrich leather is incredibly elastic and waterproof. Due to the high content of natural oils, it easily bends, folds, and takes shape of an intended product.
Surprisingly, it is more water-proof than crocodile skin, although the African bird doesn’t live in the water. It’ll be fine if your wallet gets wet for a while. At the same time, oils protect the leather from heat and sunrays. While other leathers may become dry and brittle when being exposed to high temperatures and UV light, ostrich leather is going to be fine. That being said, it won’t hurt if you apply a special conditioner every once in a while, especially if your item has taken some beating over time.
Some types of genuine leather are hard to dye. This is not the case with ostrich. Dye is able to deeply penetrate into the layers of the skin, even into follicles, which ensures a smooth and uniform color. Taking advantage of this property, designers introduce a wide range of finishes, from traditional black, brown, and grays to trendy teal, electric, or fuchsia.
Last but not least, ostrich leather is hard to fake. That’s because its combination of thickness and softness is one of a kind. Besides, if we are considering dorsal and chest leathers, their bumpy patterns are impossible to emulate. Some unscrupulous sellers try to pass embossed cowhide for ostrich, but you can easily figure it out. Fakes will have very uniform patterns, and every bump is going to be similar to another. Plus, if you press such a bump with your finger, it will cave in. In natural ostrich leather, every follicle is unique and is pretty tough.
Ostrich Leather Wallets
Ostrich wallets exist in the same styles and models as other types of leather transformed into wallets: bi-folds, tri-folds, coin wallets, you name it. However, if you’re hunting down chest or dorsal leather specifically, we suggest getting a long wallet able to display the bumpy pattern in all its beauty. Small-size models, designed to be carried in a pocket, are not apt enough for this purpose. Besides, because the leather is thick, and the bumpy texture adds even more volume, foldable wallets end up being bulky.
A long ostrich wallet isn’t intended for a pocket. But who does carry a luxurious product like that? It belongs to your bag, and you pull it out with a lot of grace. It comfortably sits in your palm, and it attracts looks from near and far. Apart from their stunning visual effect, long wallets are roomy and can fit a lot of stuff (even your ID, which is not always available with tri-folds).
Ostrich leather accessories radiate prestige and even elitism. They are pretty expensive but they will last a lifetime. Your choices are bumpy leather from the back and chest or adorned with scaly patterns taken from the legs.