Traditionally, leather is the preferred choice of material for a shoe or boot upper and has been for thousands of years, with the first known leather shoe dating back an astonishing six thousand years. To this day, most high-quality footwear brands continue to follow the wise use of leather from our ancestors, since it offers numerous qualities that are often left aside in other materials.

• The shape of a shoe can often be more easily maintained in a leather shape while still having the ability to make minor adjustments to fit the particular shape of someone’s feet.
• The properties of leather allow it to absorb and transmit perspiration and heat away from the foot.
• Leather can often be restored by polishing it as it has a good surface abrasion.
• It is a comfortable material that can be worn in both hot and cold temperatures.
• It flexes easily under foot and does not substantially weaken when folded or wrinkled.

The skin of most animals can be treated to produce leather and can be found in the following types of leather:

• French Veal Veal – These calves are normally aged up to 10 months, providing a premium quality fine leather that is quite strong in nature. Therefore, this leather is often used as an upper material in many high-quality men’s and women’s boots and shoes. This leather will always be lined.
• Yearling – this leather comes from the skin of an older animal, up to the age of 2 years. The grain is more corpulent than in calf, but stronger. This leather can be found in men’s, women’s and children’s footwear and as dress leather it is always lined.
• Hide – made from the skin of a fully grown adult cow. Again, this hide is even beefier than any of the yearling calves, but it is much firmer and stronger. It is commonly referred to as a “leather side” due to the fact that it is cut from the spine for ease of handling. This leather is well suited for both work boots and sturdy shoes. Due to their strength, these skins are usually too thick for use on shoe uppers and are layered. The outer layer (hair follicle side) is used for the top and if this outer layer is blemished or scarred in any way, the surface can be buffed to remove any blemishes before finishing is applied. The leather is then known as ‘corrected grain’ leather. Boots that are made with leather/oxhide/willow are made as unlined boots due to the thickness of the leather.
• goat or kid – this type of leather is much softer than calfskin, but in the same case it is more likely to scratch and be subject to wear. Kid leather, obtained from the youngest animal, is finer grained and has a shiny appearance. Both goat and kid leather is used in men’s and women’s fashion and comfort footwear and is particularly popular in good quality loafers. In any of its forms, whether Cabrito or Cabra, this leather has a very distinctive grain, which is found around the follicles. For example, RM Williams uses kid leather only for the boot linings and heel socks and is recognized by its distinctive butter yellow color.
• kangaroo – This is a light and supple leather, which is both soft and pliable to wear. It’s also surprisingly strong for its weight and is often found in both fashion and athletic shoes, dress and casual boots. This leather is always lined.
• buffalo – this leather has an attractive and distinctive surface grain pattern; from the water buffalo. When used for shoe uppers, most buffalo leather comes from young animals and is often used in dress and casual shoes and sometimes for linings.
• Camel – a leather with a natural grain finish that is both resistant and robust. This leather originates from Australian camels which are sourced from farmed or wild, slaughtered animals found in Central Australia. One of its most distinctive features is found in the healed scars that arise from life in the wilderness. Again, this leather can be used for both dress and work footwear.
• pigskin – makes it an excellent lining material as it is a soft, loose grain leather. Usually appearing in pairs, the follicle pores are deep and quite distinctive. Sometimes it is possible to coat the grained side of the hide to produce a hogskin.
• sheep skins – another leather of soft and loose grain. This type of leather is not as resistant as the others and for this reason it is usually used with the wool still intact as a lining for slippers or shoes for the cold.
• suede – often used in very high quality footwear for both men’s and women’s boots and shoes. This leather is a strong, soft leather that is very comfortable to wear and has a light surface texture.
• exotic leathers – Other creatures, such as lizards, snakes, crocodiles, and ostriches, have skin that can be tanned for shoe and boot uppers or used as decorative panels and trims for other types of footwear. Because they have a very distinctive appearance and are difficult to work, these leathers are expensive and require a strong backing material.