FABRICS FAQ : faux leather

Brentano’s Faux Leathers are made of Polyurethane or Nylon. Both are nonwoven and produced in a very different manner than woven textiles. First, to produce polyurethane faux leather, a polyurethane liquid is poured over a supporting material (a substrate). Second, nylon faux leathers are made by applying extreme pressure to a bed of micro deniers. Although these faux leathers do not contain warp or weft, they can be made to be as strong as or stronger than woven textiles.


Polyurethane based material was developed as a necessary alternative to extremely toxic, dioxin releasing vinyl (PVC). Because they are primarily made with natural resin, polyurethane textiles are biodegradable. Additionally, polyurethane is durable, versatile and less harmful to humans than leather. For more on polyurethane faux leather’s green story, see Environmental Benefits of Polyurethane.


Because Polyurethane is biodegradable, it is designed to deteriorate after usage. Whereas PVC may be indestructible, it is important to remember it remains indestructible while sitting in a landfill and emitting dioxins. The life cycle of polyurethane can be specifically designed for the textile industry and for individual applications. Brentano uses standard leather tests on its polyurethane faux leathers, allowing us to tailor the fabric’s life length to specific applications, such as Outdoor, Upholstery and Ultra friendly polyurethane textiles. Brentano’s polyurethane based faux leathers are designed with their necessary life in mind and will naturally biodegrade when that life is over.


3931 Amazon

01 Milk Snake
02
Boa
03
King Snake
04
Serpent
05
Cobra
06
Rattlesnake
07
Copperhead
08
Sidewinder
09
Scarlet Snake
10
Anaconda
11
Mamba
3911 Caress

01 Flax
02
Stucco
03
Rattan
04
Ginger
05
Butterscotch
06
Penny
07
Sasparilla
08
Football
09
Fennel
10
Maple Syrup
11
Otter
12
Truffle
13
Port
14
Racing Green
15
Niagara
16
Noir
3925 City Block

01 Salon
02
Bookstore
03
Tearoom
04
Café
05
Bakery
06
Park
07
Barbershop
08
Jazz Club
09
Firehouse
10
Cinema
11
Pub
12
Nightclub
3927 Ooh La La

01 Slipper
02
Sandal
03
Peep Toe
04
Platform
05
Slingback
06
Stiletto
07
Cha Cha
08
Wedge
09
Mary Jane
1310 Pearl Envy

01 Crystal
02
Canary Diamond
03
Damburite
04
Amazonite
05
Tanzanite
06
Smoky Quartz
1300 Royal Coach

01 Lunar White
02
Shell
03
Freshwater
04
Stone Blue
05
Distant Mountain
06
Chartreuse
07
Bridle
08
Autumn Leaves
09
Su Fong Red
10
Mare
11
Mahogany
12
Chestnut
13
Stallion
14
Ancient Pine
15
Black Lacquer
16
Burnished Gold
17
Mushroom
18
Walnut



Brentano's Ultra Friendly Series of polyurethane faux leathers are made using a patented "dry" process. Compared to the traditional "wet" process, the Ultra Friendly Series has the following benefits:
  1. It consumes 0.1% of solvent, almost none.
  2. It requires 1/3 of the energy to produce (compared to the traditional "wet" method).
  3. It requires 1/5 of the labor to produce (compared to the traditional "wet" method).
In addition to the green aspect, the Ultra Friendly Series is tested to be extremely strong in abrasion and exhibit superior hydrolysis performance.

3987 Galaxy

01 Milky Way
02
Venus
03
Mercury
04
Uranus
05
Sun
06
Neptune
07
Mars
08
Earth
09
Eris
10
Asteroid
11
Saturn
12
Jupiter
13
Pluto
3900 Satin

01 Quicksilver
02
Bamboo Leaf
03
Summer Sky
04
Oyster Shell
05
Hematite
06
Bronze
07
June Bug
08
Obsidian
09
Deep Sea
3940 Scuba

01 Shell
02
Surf
03
Angelfish
04
Reef
05
Eel
06
Shrimp
07
Seaweed
08
Saltwater
09
Octopus
10
Stingray
11
Shipwreck
3915 Streetcar

01 State
02
Lincoln
03
Sheridan
04
Wabash
05
Clark
06
Rush
07
Halsted
08
Oak
09
Diversey
10
Michigan
11
Clybourn
12
Ogden
3903 Vapor

01 First Snow
02
Ki Gold
03
Sandalwood
04
Cinnabar
05
Good Luck Red
06
Gooseberry
07
Tea Green
08
Incense
09
Plum Brown


In addition to looking like leather, Nylon faux leathers are lightweight and strong. Because they are simultaneously dense and microporous, water vapor and heat are able to pass through the fabric. Breathability dissipates heat in warm weather and retains it in cold weather. The composition of Brentano’s nylon faux leathers has the same permeability to air and moisture as that of superior leathers. Nylon based faux leathers are durable, flexible and of the highest quality.


1511 Kismet

01 Cream
02
Honey
03
Sassafras
04
Molasses
1500 Royalsuede

01 Stoneware
02
Sesame
03
Dune
04
Lichen
05
Pistachio
06
Fawn
07
Honey
08
Sage
09
Moonlight
10
Nutmeg
11
Antelope
12
Canyon
13
Saddle
14
Cool Shade
15
River Rock
16
Smoke
17
Madder
18
Nightshade
1515 Serendipity

01 Stoneware
02
Moonlight
03
Fawn
04
River Rock




















   
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©2008  Brentano, Inc.   260 Holbrook Drive   Wheeling  IL 60090  U.S.A.     Tel: 847.657.8481  Fax: 847.657.8641