The feet can be one of the parts of our body that suffer the most throughout the day, since they have to support our body weight, whether standing in a fixed place or walking. That is why we should take much more care of them than we do, and as we will see below, a good way to start taking care of your feet is by using appropriate footwear.

The material used to make shoes represents 70% of the quality of the footwear, while the 30% of its quality is the assembly of the same. Because of this, in the following lines we are going to focus on the materials, to better understand the importance of using leather to have good podiatric health.

Leather is a natural material above all, so offers breathabilityThis feature is one of the most important, since being a porous material it allows for greater hygiene, reducing foot irritation and reducing the possibility of fungus appearing. Closely related to this quality is that of absorption, since it is also capable of absorbing sweat, reducing humidity inside the footwear and creating a feeling of freshness. These two qualities ensure that the temperature of the feet remains warm in winter and cooler in summer.

Another difference to highlight with synthetic imitations is, without a doubt, that the latter tend to cause many more allergies, due for example to the dyes they use, together with their low breathability. We can consider leather a material hypoallergenic, since there are very few cases in which these cases are detected using this material.

Flexibility This is another characteristic that makes the quality of leather shoes unique, making them much softer and more comfortable, adapting to the foot for each person, moment or problem that we have with them. The foot undergoes variations in size throughout the day, expanding and shrinking depending on the temperature it reaches, which is why it is important to use this material especially on the “instep” of the shoe.

This flexibility allows it to be a much more durable material than synthetic materials, since when used for several hours making normal walking movements, the leather gives way and adapts to the posture without cracking or splitting as happens with other materials. In addition, if you take care of your leather footwear with the appropriate cleaning products, you can extend its useful life and keep it looking in perfect condition despite being used for a long time.

As we have previously mentioned, the fitting of the shoe is also important and leather shoes usually lack internal seams, which means that the rubbing and annoying folds disappear. avoiding wounds and blisters very common, especially in new shoes.

In addition to our body, the production of artificial or synthetic fibres also has a negative environmental impact., causing serious ecological damage to the environment than the bleaching, dyeing, printing and finishing treatment processes. This process generates waste that is not capable of biodegrading, since they are by-products of petroleum, and they decompose very slowly.

All these issues show that buying leather shoes, even if they are more expensive, is a long-term investment, as they will last longer, but above all you will notice that your feet are healthier, they bother you less, you can walk further without feeling your feet overwhelmed in a damp and narrow place, and at the same time get rid of those damn chafing. Once you try them you will be able to confirm it, and you will not change them again.

Types of leather for shoe manufacturing

When we look for suitable footwear, we usually look at its appearance, but we rarely look at the material it is made of and whether it is the most useful for the function we want to give it and for our foot, in order to be able to choose more wisely, below, we will see different types of leather, which although they are all leather, each one has characteristics that define it as unique.

Cowhide:

This leather is characterized by a soft and oiled feel, while being rigid and with a solid structure.

The main advantage of this leather is its resistance to wear and tear, but without losing breathability and without ceasing to be comfortable and elastic.

These characteristics make it a perfect option for more robust shoes for daily use and sports or hardened by tanning to create highly breathable soles.