All about LV - LEATHERS

The "feel" of the epi leather is mostly about the the thick plastic finish on top, just like Chanel caviar leather. There are pros and cons, but the material is more similar to coated canvas than taurillion leather. This is obvious if you look at the wear and tear of epi leather where the coating comes off. Here's an example of someone taking off the coating to show the leather underneath.

 
I would also like to know more about the lockme ever mini. Is the bag structured or is the leather soft and lose it’s shape when it’s stuffed?
Both - it's structured but soft. I like the feeling of it. The whole material is very thick that's why it doesn't loose it's shape.

Plus: You can open the buttons on the sides and pull the edges outwards for having more space inside. Then it reminds me on a givenchy antigona!
 
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The "feel" of the epi leather is mostly about the the thick plastic finish on top, just like Chanel caviar leather. There are pros and cons, but the material is more similar to coated canvas than taurillion leather. This is obvious if you look at the wear and tear of epi leather where the coating comes off. Here's an example of someone taking off the coating to show the leather underneath.


This isn't true, and this guy is quite wrong on a lot of counts.

Yes epi leather is a treated leather. It is a heavily embossed leather, which is a heat treatment, not a plastic coating. There is a layer of paint on top of the dye, but that's a coloring agent, also not a plastic.

He doesn't do his research on the brands and leathers he's talking about and is spreading a lot of misinformation as a result.
 
This isn't true, and this guy is quite wrong on a lot of counts.

Yes epi leather is a treated leather. It is a heavily embossed leather, which is a heat treatment, not a plastic coating. There is a layer of paint on top of the dye, but that's a coloring agent, also not a plastic.

He doesn't do his research on the brands and leathers he's talking about and is spreading a lot of misinformation as a result.
There is surface coating on most leathers, not just heat applied or "paint". What exactly do you think the color pigment is mixed in with in the outer coating? "Plastics" include are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient, and this certainly is a part of the coating that is applied to leather, and not just epi leather. Epi leather has a heavily corrected finish which includes a thicker coating than many other leathers. I chose to use an umbrella term "plastic", as I'm not sure exactly what goes into the mix that Vuitton uses but you can be sure that the material falls within the definition of "plastics". The feel of the epi leather should make this obvious. There are pros and cons to having such a heavily corrected leather surface.

He certainly has an agenda that is very clear, but my main point was basically to show the thick layers on top and there aren't that many other videos doing that in a good way that I can find. Please feel free to add other examples that may be helpful if you come across any.
 
There is surface coating on most leathers, not just heat applied or "paint". What exactly do you think the color pigment is mixed in with in the outer coating? "Plastics" include are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient, and this certainly is a part of the coating that is applied to leather, and not just epi leather. Epi leather has a heavily corrected finish which includes a thicker coating than many other leathers. I chose to use an umbrella term "plastic", as I'm not sure exactly what goes into the mix that Vuitton uses but you can be sure that the material falls within the definition of "plastics". The feel of the epi leather should make this obvious. There are pros and cons to having such a heavily corrected leather surface.

He certainly has an agenda that is very clear, but my main point was basically to show the thick layers on top and there aren't that many other videos doing that in a good way that I can find. Please feel free to add other examples that may be helpful if you come across any.
I'm not arguing that epi isn't heavily treated. But condensing what is done to it as "a thick plastic coating" is simply not true.

@BULL made an excellent post specifically about epi leather and its make.


There
 
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This guy's videos haunt me :biggrin: haha

Épi is certainly heavily treated, but I wouldn't say that it is corrected. The corrected leathers have their topmost layer sanded off, while receiving a heavy coating + usually an emossing to look like leather. The pores on the Épi pieces tell otherwise. They turn high quality full grain leather into Épi. Yes, they deep dye it, yes, the extra paint can be acrylic based (which is a synthetic material), but it is still a very high quality leather. If you guys look under your Épi luggage tags or under the Épi keybells, ll see both the cross section of the leather and the underside. It is a very nice leather.
 
This guy's videos haunt me :biggrin: haha

Épi is certainly heavily treated, but I wouldn't say that it is corrected. The corrected leathers have their topmost layer sanded off, while receiving a heavy coating + usually an emossing to look like leather. The pores on the Épi pieces tell otherwise. They turn high quality full grain leather into Épi. Yes, they deep dye it, yes, the extra paint can be acrylic based (which is a synthetic material), but it is still a very high quality leather. If you guys look under your Épi luggage tags or under the Épi keybells, ll see both the cross section of the leather and the underside. It is a very nice leather.
Now i have a question.... then it doesn't real matter which material under the treated surface is?

I hope you understand what I mean because my english lessons are a loooong time ago!
 
Now i have a question.... then it doesn't real matter which material under the treated surface is?

I hope you understand what I mean because my english lessons are a loooong time ago!
Well, no matter the surface coating, the leather underneath will be stronger and longer lasting and less prone to damage if it is a full grain one. If any of the strongest upper layers are sanded or shaved off, the material will get weaker.
That can be helped with reinforcement materials (Vuitton also uses those, but mostly for structure, not to compensate for a weaker, lower quality leather).
The coating layer can be a light sprayed paint, but also can be very thick, those are the leathers that feel undeniably plasticky. The Michael Kors "leathers" gave me that impression. They are not made in Europe, the leather is not sourced from Tuscany or Normandy, and the standards are very different. They also use real leather, but their 'saffiano' feels like a Lego compared to a Taïga. And the smell is also vastly different.
 
I'm not arguing that epi isn't heavily treated. But condensing what is done to it as "a thick plastic coating" is simply not true.

@BULL made an excellent post specifically about epi leather and its make.


There
I agree with his post. I didn't mean to rile things up.

I have epi and coated canvas items myself and the durability and resistance which is an effect of the coating is what makes the product attractive. That is a "pro" for these items. The reason why some leather 'enthusiasts' may find caviar or epi leather less exciting, is the heavy or thick compared-to-other-leather-types finish that is applied. Regardless of what quality of leather LV uses for epi, heavy embossing and finish (perhaps polyurethane in the case of epi if you don't like the word plastic) that makes the quality of the leather less important, as the treatment conceals natural variation in the leather. In addition, if the finish ever wears off, it's more difficult to conceal and repair than let's say a box leather or saddle leather. These could be considered "cons" for epi leather. The coating is what makes epi more rigid in cold temperatures than many other leathers.

You can see how heavy the finish is in the video I posted, that is the point of the video, not promoting his point of view or the 'cost estimates' that he does which is basically just sales tactics for his own products.

Leather "paint" usually implies something other than and lighter than the coating on epi and by calling it "paint" I'm worried it may be confusing, especially when we are comparing different leathers with less coating to epi, that are also pigmented and that may be painted when the color wears off. If the coating on epi wears off, a layer of "paint" won't be enough to restore the surface.

As consumers we should expect to get information about what we are buying, not euphemisms. Personally, the tendency with luxury brands to use "technical fabric" and similar phrases for polyester, viscose and nylon (materials with different climate impact) or 'coated canvas' is doing a disservice to the clients. LV is pretty open about its production otherwise, there are many videos from the factories in France, Italy and Romania where you can see the quality assurance and production of the bags and shoes. I haven't come across anything on how the materials are made though. Hoping to learn and share information here.