Practical Techniques For Designing With Exotic Leather: American Alligator and Emu

Abstract

Exotic leather is an important part of the leather industry, which is worth approximately three billion dollars (Sterlacci, 1997). Due to an increased fashion emphasis on exotic leather apparel, it is now considered a fashion staple rather than a trend. This study was part of a larger project, conducted by a multi-faceted team of researchers from academia, government, and industry, designed to broaden and enhance the domestic exotic leather industry. The larger project included regional, national, and international surveys of consumers, retailers, designers, and manufacturers regarding their preferences for exotic leather apparel, their knowledge of exotic leather products, their attitudes toward exotic leather, and their perceptions about the exotic leather market. The purpose of the present component of the project was to design, develop, and execute prototype apparel products made from exotic leather, and to identify special techniques necessary for manipulating leather. Prototype garments were created in both types of skins to address some of the practical problems encountered when using exotic leather in apparel applications. While leather such as cowhide and lambskin has been used in apparel applications for many years, the exotics have primarily been found in applications such as boots, belts, handbags, and other small goods. The prototype garments developed for this project support the idea that exotic leather can be successfully applied to fashion apparel products.