I dare not say that what I said is completely correct, It is just all this information comes from industry insiders, it should have a high confidence coefficient.
Why is there such a big difficulty? Isn’t it just knowledge? Because crocodile leather is limited to very affluent few, the flow of information does not circulate freely.
I hope I can let the knowledge in this field be known to more people just like what I did on welted shoes.
What is good crocodile leather? I have answered this question many times, and because it is the same principle as cowhide, it is more acceptable and understood by everyone.
The thinner the surface coating, the better.
Why are many genuine crocodile leather goods very cheap? Because there are a lot of scars and flaws on the skin, and a thick layer of coating is sprayed on the surface, which looks shiny most of the time.
Maybe many people think it’s also good-looking, and it’s also genuine crocodile leather. What’s the problem? Just like many people like patent leather and polished leather.
In terms of personal preference, of course there is no problem. But if you have been exposed to crocodile leather without such a thick coating, you may have your own re-evaluation of what is beauty and what is a good experience.
When it comes to using crocodile leather, Hermes should be the most famous. It has two series, one is matte and the other is high-gloss.
However, its highlight is not realised with coating, but polished with agate. Even so, Hermes believes that the quality of matte leather is higher than that of high-gloss, because the flawlessness of the skin itself is more demanding.
When it comes to Hermes, many people will surely say that your method of deciding crocodile leather quality level is wrong. That Porous is better than Alligator and better than Niloticus is professional.
Breed, I think it’s another dimension, just like comparing calfskin to buffalo leather.
However I suspect that the underlying logic is not clear for those who mention this “despise chain”.
Why is Porous most expensive? Because it is too aggressive and needs to be raised separately. It’s not that the quality of this breed is better than others. And it is big, which is especially suitable for making big pieces. Big crocodile leather goods look very bold and compelling.
Is Alligator really more expensive than Nile crocodiles? If it is the same leather goods, it must be, because the Alligator is relatively small in size. If you use it for large pieces, it will consume a lot.
There are grades about crocodile leather quality, namely A, B, C or I, II, III, IV.
From my point of view, this idea is correct, but it is also the confusion caused by the lack of information at present.
Let me ask you a question. Is B or II better? Why are there two systems? What is the logic of the two systems?
The answer is that A, B, C is the Chinese classification method, and I to IV is the international classification method. Relatively speaking, the international classification is more detailed and the requirements are stricter. For example, most of the Chinese B grade is III level in terms of international classification.
Level II requirements are already very high, asking almost flawless leather.
So let us go back to the title of this article, what is the top crocodile leather? What are the requirements for Level I? The answer is the perfect texture.
This Hermes crocodile skin Birkin is already top notch by any means, but in terms of the crocodile leather level, it is definitely not rated I, because its texture is asymmetric.
This is the funny part. It not only needs to be raised alone, but also needs to be gifted! It is not even for people’s face to be completely symmetrical and they are requiring so much on a fish’s belly! Really?