When someone mentions Italian leather gloves, many images come to mind. It might bring to mind images of a race car driver zooming around the track, winning the race, and celebrating in the winner’s circle with all the pretty girls. Or, speaking of pretty girls, you might be thinking of the famous actress behind a pair of sunglasses with her entourage following in her wake. In either case, a lot of attention is being paid to someone with the supple gloves. That is why these images are so closely related to each other--success breeds success.
What is Italian Leather?
Most Italian leathers are made by hand with centuries-old techniques. The hides these leatherworkers use are of the best quality. They choose from top-grain hides. This gives the best results and has the least amount of flaws in the leather. Smooth, clear grain leather is what most clothiers look for when buying leather. Since Italy has such a rich tradition of leather craft, they are the leatherworkers a lot of top designers like to use. That is why Italian leather is so widely known and they command a good portion of the attention where clothing designers are concerned.
How Do You Know It’s Italian?
It’s a sad truth that when something is known for its quality and highly sought after, people will tend to try to copy the original. It’s been said that the truest form of flattery is when someone tries to copy what you do. In some cases, that may be correct, but where real Italian leather is concerned, that may not apply. Everyone knows the high quality of Italian leather, but everyone also expects that to come with a price. That is where the copies come in. Most true Italian leatherworkers will stamp their leather “Made in Italy”. That way, everyone knows the original from the copy.
Nothing Compares to the Real Thing
Once you own a pair of real Italian leather gloves, you may never want to go back to anything else. The supple feel of the gloves will most likely ruin you for substitutions. The nice part about that is the leather is so good, you may not have to buy another pair for a very long time. So the cost of the initial investment might seem high, but you have to think about the years of use you will get out of them. A similar pair may only last one season, and then you buy another, and perhaps another. At that point isn’t a single purchase the better value?
Finding Quality Italian Leather Gloves
by
Art Gibb, freelance writer on behalf
of Luxe-Gloves
(
15-Jan-2013
)