Real and Faux Leather
What Is Fake Leather Called?
Fake leather is usually called faux, artificial or synthetic leather. What leatherette, pleather, PU and vegan leather signal, and the words labels use.
Fake leather is most often called faux leather, artificial leather or synthetic leather. You'll also see leatherette, imitation leather, vegan leather, PU leather, pseudoleather and pleather. All of these are names for one family of materials made to stand in for leather. The name used usually tells you the coating or the sales pitch, not a different product.
This answer is part of our hub on real vs faux leather.
Names for fake leather at a glance
The names also group by coating. That breakdown is in types of synthetic leather.
| Name | What the name signals | Fact | Full answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Faux leather | "Faux" means not real but made to look real | – | What faux leather means |
| Artificial or synthetic leather | The general category of man-made leather substitutes | – | What artificial leather is |
| Imitation leather | Disclosure wording used on US labels | – | – |
| Leatherette | Usually a fabric base with a soft PVC layer | – | What leatherette is |
| Pleather | A blend of "plastic" and "leather" | – | What pleather means |
| PU leather / PVC leather | Named after the plastic coating | – | What PU leather is |
| Vegan leather | Made without animal products | – | Is vegan leather real leather? |
| Poromeric | DuPont's word, from "porous" plus "polymeric" | – | – |
What's the word for fake leather?
If you want one everyday word, it's "pleather." Dictionaries define it as a plastic fabric or artificial material made to look like leather. It's informal, though. On product labels the more formal wording is "imitation leather" or "simulated leather".
Names you'll see on labels
Labels use stricter wording than shop listings do:
- United States. If a bag, shoe, belt or wallet looks like leather but isn't, the FTC guides say this should be disclosed. Suggested wording includes "Not leather," "Imitation leather," "Simulated leather," "Vinyl" and "Plastic".
- European Union footwear. Labels sort materials into leather, coated leather, textile and other materials. "Leather" must be hide or skin with its fiber structure more or less intact.
- Italy. Since 2020, "pelle" and "cuoio" can't be used for materials that aren't hide. Names such as "similpelle," "pelle sintetica" and "ecopelle" for fake leather are off-limits.
Brand names that became words
Some fake leathers are still known by a trade name:
For the history behind Rexine, see leather vs. Rexine.
| Brand | Origin | Fact |
|---|---|---|
| Naugahyde | American, introduced by Uniroyal | – |
| Rexine | British, cloth coated with nitrocellulose | – |
| Skai | German (Konrad Hornschuch AG), now a generic word in Germany and nearby countries | – |
| Fabrikoid | DuPont, cotton cloth coated with nitrocellulose | – |
| Corfam | DuPont's first poromeric, sold from 1963 to 1971 | – |
| Clarino | Made by Kuraray, Japan | – |
| MB-Tex | Used in many Mercedes-Benz base trims | – |
Names that don't always mean fake
A few names sound like fake leather but aren't, or aren't always:
- Genuine leather is real leather, but the term doesn't name a grade.
- Bonded leather contains 10–90% shredded leather fiber in a binder. See bonded leather vs. real leather.
- "PU leather" on furniture can mean bicast, a leather split coated with polyurethane.
- Ecopelle in Italy is meant to be leather made with reduced environmental impact, yet the word is commonly used for plastic sheets. See what eco leather is.
FAQ
What material is imitation leather?
Usually a fabric base coated with polyurethane or PVC and embossed with a grain. The steps are in how faux leather is made.
What is man-made leather called?
Artificial or synthetic leather.
Where to see real leather
Leather Collection doesn't sell faux, vegan, PU or PVC leather; store searches for those terms return no products. Its men's leather jackets name the hide on every product page.
HitKB Editorial Team
HitKB articles are researched from published sources, cited in the text, and reviewed before publication.