Abstract

Nowadays, there are a variety of emerging competitive materials intended for shoe uppers, with the most critical being leather and leatherette (leather imitation). To this end, a comparative assessment of the physicomechanical properties of leather and leatherette was carried out. This was necessary to establish the differences between the two materials and present the one with a comparative advantage. The analysis was carried out following the methods described in the official analysis methods by the Society of Leather Technologists and Chemists (SLTC) 1996, except where otherwise stated. Furthermore, the end-user performance properties result for both leather and leatherette, respectively, such as tensile strength (37.5 N/mm2 and 25.3 N/mm2), water vapour permeability (20.6 mg/cmh and 6.8 mg/cmh), fullness (1649 kg/cm2 and 289715 kg/cm2), lastometer (11.5 mm and 8.5 mm), among others were discussed. The results lend credence to the comparative advantage of leather over leatherette and, therefore, the most recommended material for shoe uppers.