The slightly older generation certainly knows the terms derma or skaj, which until 20 to 30 years ago were usually called materials imitating real skin. Today they are hardly used anymore, because they are pejoratively marked and we associate them with very low quality. The progress that has been made in the production of artificial hides and skins is so great that it is absolutely impossible today to regard this material as something rubbish. That’s why we started talking about eco-skin.
Skaj – worse quality, but available for any pocket
In the past, when hardly anyone could afford products made of natural leather, the real career was made by artificial materials, called skaj and derma. The term artificial leather was used less often. But everyone knew exactly what was going on. Skimmed milk products were of much lower quality, but were correspondingly cheaper and available for virtually any pocket.
Many people certainly know the slogan “Jump of Sunday”. It is very negatively marked, but in the economic reality of the time it was the derma that was the basic material for the production of footwear, upholstered furniture and even outerwear. So we took a price correction, accepting the poorer quality.
At the same time, skimmed milk products were generally very easy to recognise. At first glance they looked much worse, which was also due to the production technique. Footwear or leather from derma was destroyed quite quickly, but most of us could only dream about real leather products.
Huge qualitative progress
After the political changes, the wealthy society was (and still is) more and more able to afford natural leather products. Derma and skaj have therefore become synonymous with something rubbish, in bad taste, for us. This forced the producers to fight for the blurring of the negative image of artificial leather. The result was a change in the name of the material. Today, few people still say “derma”. This term has replaced eco-skin.
At the same time, artificial leather is again making a very big career in our country. It can be found almost everywhere, and most often in furniture stores. Eco leather is a very popular upholstery material, which is influenced not only by a much lower price, e.g. sofa, but also by the noticeable quality leap that has been made in the production technology.
Choice for economical aesthetics
Eco leather is a synthetic material, nowadays perfectly imitating natural leather. It is an effect of covering the fabric with a layer of polyvinyl chloride or polyurethane. If the manufacturer uses very good components and additionally gives the material the right texture, the layman may have a problem to immediately notice the difference with the natural leather.
So the upholstery looks very aesthetic, elegant and looks more expensive than it actually is. This is a sufficient argument for many people who simply cannot afford to spend several thousand dollars on leather sofa. Choosing eco skin you can have such a sofa in as little as 2-3 thousand.
The durability of modern leather eco is also much higher than in the 80s and 90s. Properly maintained and used upholstery can serve us peacefully for many years without a noticeable decline in aesthetics. Therefore, it is a reasonable choice for people who care about money but want to invite something spectacular to their interiors.
The term “eco leather” was intended to help break with stereotypes and harmful opinions about materials that imitate real leather. Judging by the interest in furniture of this type, this effect was achieved.
