Leather

Leather catsuit

Leather is an animal's skin which has been processed to strengthen it and stop it from decaying.

Leather is most often used as a fabric.

The finish of the leather is dependent on

• the animal
• the animal's age
• the body part from which the skin was extracted
• the tanning process
  • concentrations
  • planing
  • colouring additives
• final treatments, for example waxing

Leather as a fetish

The properties of leather incurring affectionate reactions on leather fetishists include

• tactile
  • smoothness
  • skin feel
  • resistance to wear
• olfactory
  • new leather with residues of the tanning process
  • old leather
  • used leather; leather being somewhat of a barrier to air exchange it is likely to trap and gather any bodily fragrances
• visual
  • smoothness
  • tightness
  • flow

Since leather was originally the skin of an animal, it may be regarded as a second skin, especially if tight-fitting. However, since leather does not stretch much, it is difficult to make leather clothes as tight as those made of latex or lycra.

Other connotations include the perceived status of leather clothing (besides the usual belts and boots) being, at least a bit, provocative.

External links

• How leather is made