Advantages of leather shoes
Leather shoes offer many advantages over synthetic leather and textile shoes—such as breathability and flexibility. Of course, there are more benefits, which I’ll explain to you now.
1. Durability of Leather
Leather shoes are very durable when properly cared for. Thanks to the natural, three-dimensional, endless fiber structure, leather has very high tensile strength, tear resistance, puncture resistance, and elongation resistance. Additionally, leather becomes even more resilient when wet—this is particularly beneficial when the shoes are worn in sweaty or damp conditions.
2. Better Breathability Compared to Synthetic Leather
Leather absorbs sweat while being worn and slowly releases it to the outside. With proper care, it still prevents water from entering from the outside. This is perfect for footwear, as it reduces sweaty feet and keeps them dry from the outside as well.
3. Greater Flexibility of Leather
Since feet tend to swell by about 4–5% throughout the day, this is a particularly beneficial property of leather. It adapts better to the foot, making it more comfortable to wear. At the end of the day, you should place a shoe tree in the worn shoe to help smooth out walking creases and maintain its shape.
4. Better Thermal Insulation Compared to Synthetic Leather Shoes
Leather shoes provide excellent climate control for the feet thanks to their breathability, while also keeping them warm. In extremely cold conditions, however, you shouldn’t skip on added insulation inside the shoe.
5. Appearance: Synthetic Leather vs. Genuine Leather
Finally, we come to the look. Leather gives each shoe its own unique appearance. Every leather shoe is one of a kind because every hide is different, and each grain pattern varies slightly.
Additional sources (Accessed: 05.02.2019):
- deerberg(dot)de/blog/mode/schuhe-aus-leder-5-ueberzeugende-vorteile
- lederpedia(dot)de/veroeffentlichungen/vorteile_von_leder_gegenueber_ersatzstoffen
- info(dot)de/index.php/Atmungsaktivit%C3%A4t
