Does Gucci use Real Leather for its Luxury Products?

Do you want to buy a Gucci bag but aren’t sure if they use real leather? Gucci is known for its high-quality products, and its leather goods are no exception. But does Gucci use real leather to make its luxurious products?

This confusion has lingered over the years and even led to ethical concerns regarding Gucci’s use of animal skin.

In this article, we will talk about whether or not Gucci uses real leather in making its high-end fashion products. We will also provide some information about Gucci’s commitment to sustainability and ethical sourcing.

Does Gucci use real leather?

Yes, Gucci uses the finest quality real Italian leather known as Guccissima or “most Italian”. This is real leather that is turned into superior full-grain vegetable-tanned premium leather for making iconic bags, jackets, shoes, and belts. Gucci also uses animal-free leather known as Demetra, which is the first patented vegan leather.

The kind of leather used by Gucci

One of the materials Gucci is known for using in its products is leather. Leather is a luxurious and durable material that is often used in high-end fashion products.

The type of leather used by Gucci is obtained from calfskin, pigskin, and cowhide. Gucci is also recognized for using Italian leather and eco-friendly vegan leather.

1. Calfskin leather

Gucci obtains calfskin leather from the hide of a calf or young cow.

Calfskin leather can be easily distinguished from other types of leather by examining the grain. It typically has a very fine grain and feels supple and soft to the touch.

Additionally, calfskin leather products are typically lighter than cowhide leather goods.

The Marmont collection by Gucci, which consists of shoulder bags, totes, and bucket bags, is primarily constructed of calfskin. This explains why, in contrast to other Gucci leather goods, the bags seem soft, supple, and smooth to the touch.

However, because calfskin is so sensitive, items produced with this leather could quickly be scratched. If they are not maintained properly, the products are also prone to wear and tear.

2. Pigskin leather

Most vintage Gucci leather products are made from pigskin.

Pigskin leather is tough, thick, and long-lasting, much like cowhide. It is actually regarded as a decent alternative to cowhide although it is softer and thinner.

Most of Gucci’s Abbey bags are made from pigskin leather. A concerned forum.purseblog.com user confirmed this after contacting two Gucci boutiques that sell Abbey bags.

She stated;

So I called two different Gucci boutiques today. They both confirmed that the Abbey collection is made with pigskin. Source forum.purseblog.com

If you are not a fan of pigskin leather products, you can recognize it by its rough or textured leather surface that appears to have pores or holes.

Gucci products created from this leather are strong and sturdy, so they don’t break or puncture easily.

3. Cowhide leather

Leather made from the hide of cows is known as cowhide leather. It is renowned for being the toughest, strongest natural leather.

Full-grain cowhide leather tends to be the strongest and best quality. In its natural state, it makes the perfect for high-end leather products.

Gucci uses cow leather to make various high-quality long-lasting products especially bags and shoes.

4. Italian leather

Gucci is widely known for using Italian leather to make handbags and shoes.

Italian leather, as the name suggests, is leather that is produced in Italy.

This full-grain vegetable-tanned leather is obtained from the outermost layer of animal skin and possesses several unique characteristics.

For instance, Italian leather is soft and flexible, it develops a patina as it ages, and shows the natural grain structure of the hide on the surface.

Gucci favors the use of Italian leather over other types due to its beauty, versatility, and durability.

In addition, this vegetable-tanned leather is perfect for high-end, fashionable accessories like Italian leather belts and wallets because of the way it feels and ages.

5. Vegan leather

Gucci is not vegan but it does offer vegan products. These products are made from its patented vegan leather called Demetra.

Demetra is a cruelty-free alternative to leather that Gucci started making recently from 77% raw plant-based materials.

Gucci actually won the Innovation Award for its vegan leather trainers, which are said to contain wood compounds.

Where does Gucci get their leather from?

In our previous article, we saw that some of Louis Vuitton’s animal leather is sourced from Kano tanneries in Northern Nigeria among other places.

Gucci also sources its raw materials from Kano Tanneries, which is one of the largest suppliers of leather to most luxury brands across the world.

In addition, Gucci gets its leather from Italy since about 95% of its manufacturers are in Italy and use Italian leather.

It’s important to note that a few years ago, this luxury leather brand used to get cattle-hide from Brazil. However, they have since stopped due to deforestation concerns in the Brazilian Amazon as two-thirds of it was being used for cattle production.

Gucci now sources from deforestation-free zones which include ranches that are Rainforest Alliance certified.

Is Gucci cruelty-free?

In the commercial or cosmetic industry, the term cruelty-free means producing or manufacturing products using methods that are not cruel to animals.

Brands that have cruelty-free labels show that they do not use animals for testing or get involved in activities that harm animals.

It is important to point out that in some product categories, testing on animals is required by law.

According to various reports, Gucci is not cruelty-free since they do test on animals for certain products. They do the test themselves seek the services of a third party or use their suppliers.

However, this luxury fashion house is unquestionably striving toward being animal cruelty-free. This can be seen through Gucci’s efforts to create alternatives to leather such as Demetra vegan leather.

In addition, the company has been recognized and awarded by PETA for its effort toward being cruelty-free.

Conclusion 

To conclude, Gucci uses real leather to make its wide range of luxury products. They obtain real leather from pigskin, calfskin, and cowhide.

In addition, this brand is known for using Italian leather since most of its products are manufactured in Italy.

They also use vegan leather known as Demetra, which is a cruelty-free alternative to leather.

However, despite using vegan leather, Gucci is not considered to be vegan or cruelty-free. This is due to the fact that most of their leather is obtained from animals. Additionally, the company is still involved in animal testing for some of its products.

That said, Gucci is committed to the sustainability and ethical sourcing of its products and working towards becoming 100% cruelty-free.