PU vs Real Leather Jackets - The Truth and Difference
We’ve all been at a point where you buy a leather jacket, wear it out a few times, and feel like a rockstar. But a few months forward, you pull it out of your closet and the collar is literally peeling off in little flakes like a bad sunburn. Congratulations!! You just experienced the reality of fake leather. The truth that may hurt about leather clothing is that you straightforwardly get what you pay for. You need to know the difference between the materials before you buy a jacket if you don’t want it to turn into a cracked, peeling mess. And nobody wants to walk around leaving a trail of fake leather flakes behind them.
If you are trying to figure out if you should save a few bucks or invest in the real deal, you need to understand what these materials actually are.
What Exactly is PU Leather?
Before you hit checkout on a cheap jacket, you gotta know what is actually inside it. A lot of people ask what is pu leather made of? The "PU" stands for polyurethane. It is basically just a base layer of cheap fabric (like polyester or cotton) that is completely covered in a layer of liquid plastic. Then a fake grain pattern is stamped on it to give a more natural look.
This is enough for you to answer your question “is pu leather real leather?” and know that there’s absolutely zero animal hide in there. It is 100% synthetic. It is a plastic jacket.
Clearing Up the Marketing Tricks
This is where brands try to trick you with fancy words. You might see tags and get puzzled trying to figure out what’s the difference between faux leather vs pu leather or artificial leather vs pu leather.
The secret is that they don’t want you to know that these are literally the exact same thing.
"Faux" is actually a French word for “fake,” brands use it because saying "faux leather" gives that sense of bougieness and feels more high-end than using the words "plastic leather." When you look at polyurethane vs faux leather, one’s just a chemical name whereas the other is a marketing buzzword. But beneath both of those layers, it’s all the same.
Real Leather vs The Fake Stuff
For you to be really sure about spending the extra money on genuine jackets, you need to take a look at how these materials actually perform in the real world and how they’re different from each other.
1. Durability and Peeling
This is the biggest dealbreaker. When you look at leather vs pu, the lifespan is night and day. Real leather is animal hide. It is incredibly tough, it stretches with your body, and if you take care of it, it will literally last you a lifetime. On the other hand, PU leather is just a thin plastic coating and over time that plastic dries out and peels right off the fabric backing. The jacket is ruined and you can’t fix it once it starts peeling.
2. Breathability and Comfort
If you want to know how polyurethane material vs leather feels when you actually wear it, just think about wearing a trash bag. Polyurethane is plastic, which means it does not breathe at all. If you wear a PU jacket on a warm day, you are gonna sweat like crazy and the heat will just get trapped inside. Real leather is a natural material which actually breathes and adjusts to your body temperature, keeping you warm in the winter but completely comfortable when the sun comes out.
3. The Smell and the Feel
Nothing beats the smell of a brand new, genuine leather jacket. It smells rich, earthy, and premium. When comparing pu material vs leather, the fake stuff smells like a chemical factory. It smells like if you burnt plastic or cheap chemicals and that is what it is. Real leather also gets softer and more comfortable the more you wear it, while PU leather just stays stiff and cracks within a few months.
4. The Aging Process (The Patina)
Real leather ages really well, it develops a thing called “patina” over the years where it gets these natural plus beautiful creases, the color deepens, and it molds perfectly to your body shape. It literally becomes YOUR jacket. When looking at leather vs polyurethane, the fake stuff never develops a patina. It will maintain its look exactly the same from day one till the day it inevitably cracks and gets thrown away.
Invest in Something Real with Zoq Leather
It takes time to figure your personal style out and dealing with cheap jackets that peel off can be an annoying headache; you really don’t need any more of these in your life. You don't have to waste your money replacing a fake jacket every single year.
Zoq Leather provides you with all the styles and designs that you actually need. The genuine leather pieces we have listed for you are built to make sure you look flawless from day one until the day your taste changes - never before that! So, please don't leave your wardrobe to chance, it's really not worth the risk of looking cheap.
What’s really stopping you from upgrading your outerwear? Get rid of the plastic and get a genuine leather jacket from Zoq Leather. Let our top-notch quality make your everyday look even better!!
FAQS
What is pu leather made of exactly?
It’s a synthetic material which is made by coating a cheap fabric with liquid plastic called polyurethane, then it’s stamped with a texture to mimic the look of real animal hide.
Is PU leather real leather?
No, not at all. PU leather doesn’t have animal hide at all, it’s 100% artificial and is completely man made in a factory.
What is the real difference between faux leather vs pu leather?
There is no real reason behind the season, "faux" is just a french word for fake. Whereas, PU (polyurethane) is just the chemical name for the material used to make the faux leather. The only difference is the name.
How do I clean PU material vs leather?
You can use a wet cloth or rag to wipe PU leather, it doesn’t require much since it’s plastic. Whereas, real leather needs to be treated with proper leather conditioners and cleaners to keep the hide hydrated and soft.
