How Patchwork and Bonded Leather Jackets Are Made and Why They Are Junk
I'm often asked about patchwork and bonded leather jackets. Let me explain what those words mean and how they are made. Patchwork leather can also be called bonded leather, although it is put together a bit differently. Rock design, Italian brick work and a few other fancy names are used for it too. When leather is cut to make a jacket, purse or any other item, small pieces of left-over leather are made. At some point someone decided that instead of throwing it away they would try to put it together and make a big sheet of it so they can use it for more products. The way they smash it together is done in two ways. In one, the pieces are sewn together, with some glue also used. Then they usually coat it with stuff to give it an even, smooth feel and try to waterproof all those needle holes. The other way is called bonded leather. In this way, the pieces of leather are fed into a machine that heats them and melts some plastic type of stuff on them. The heat and chemicals used ...