Leather Origins and Making
How Is Fake Leather Made? The Short Answer, and How It Is Made to Look Real
Fake leather is fabric coated with PU or PVC, with a leather grain pressed in by release paper or a roller. See early fakes and how labels show it.
Fake leather is made by coating a fabric backing with plastic, usually polyurethane (PU) or PVC, and then pressing a leather grain into the surface. No animal hide is used. For the full step-by-step process and the PU vs PVC comparison, read how faux leather is made.
This page is part of our guide to where leather comes from and how it is made.
How the leather look gets in
The grain on fake leather is copied, not grown. Makers use one of two routes:
So yes, fake leather can be made to look like real leather, because its surface is a cast of a leather texture. The back gives it away: it is a fabric base, such as polyester, not hide. See hide vs leather for what real leather starts as.
| Route | How the texture is made | Fact |
|---|---|---|
| Release paper | Plastic layers are cast onto an embossed paper that holds the grain in negative, often copied from top-grain leather; the paper is peeled off after curing | – |
| Embossing roller | One maker describes coating PVC onto fabric, foaming it, then pressing it with a textured roller and adding colour or print | – |
Fake leather before plastic
The idea is old. Presstoff, invented in 19th-century Germany, was layered, treated paper pulp, but it came apart when flexed or wet, so it was unsuited to shoes. Rexine, a British leathercloth, was cloth coated with nitrocellulose and pigment and embossed to look like leather; from the 1920s it lined car and railway interiors at about a quarter of the cost of leather. Plastic-coated versions followed, such as the polyurethane-on-polyester Corfam in 1963.
How to check what you are buying
In the US, the FTC leather guides say non-leather that looks like leather should be disclosed, for example as "imitation leather," "vinyl" or "not leather". On EU footwear, labels show the material of the upper, lining and sole as leather, coated leather, textile or other materials, by pictogram or in words.
FAQ
What ruins fake leather?
The surface of some artificial leathers can rub and wear off with time, and PVC types are harder to clean than PU.
How long does fake leather last?
We found no reliable source giving a lifespan in years, so we do not quote one. The known failure is surface wear on some types. Care tips are in our leather properties and care hub.
Is fake leather the same as synthetic leather?
Yes. Imitation, faux, synthetic, PU and vegan leather are all names for artificial leather. See how synthetic leather is made and our real vs faux leather comparison. If you would rather buy hide, Leather Collection makes its gear from cowhide.
HitKB Editorial Team
HitKB articles are researched from published sources, cited in the text, and reviewed before publication.