Kangaroo leather is, if not the hardiest, among the most hard-wearing leathers available. Unlike cow and calf leather, the most commonly used materials in shoemaking, kangaroo hides do not contain sweat glands or erector muscles, and its fat content is slim to none. Kangaroo hides also feature a highly uniform shape throughout, from the surface to the flesh, while these fibres in cattle hides run as a complex pattern to all directions. These characteristics lead to kangaroo leather’s great tensile strength and fine retention, even when split. The leather is also lightweight, with a smooth surface, much like calf.

Products from Pukimo Raivio

Kiton, grey sports jacket, size 50EU
Ralph Lauren, Black Label suit, size 52EU

Kangaroo leather is usually 1 cm to 1.2 cm thick. When split to 20% of original thickness, the hide holds between 30 to 60% of the tensile strength of the unsplit hide. Calf, the go-to leather of fine shoemakers, split to 20% of original thickness holds only 1-4% of its original strength. Kangaroo leather is lighter and stronger than the hide of a cow or goat, with ten times the tensile strength of cowhide and is 50% stronger than goatskin. A full kangaroo hide costs around 70 Australian dollars to individual clients, with leather merchants trading in lower prices.

Kangaroo leather is used in motorbike leathers, car upholstery, military boots, football boots, fashion accessories as well as whips. For some sad reason most shoemakers have abandoned this fine leather. In the first decades of the 20th century, great American shoe factories crafted exquisite footwear with kangaroo as a choice among others. While most calf leather shoes from this period, still intact after close to a hundred years, are cracked, dried up or otherwise in poor condition, I have seen kangaroo pairs hold up astoundingly well. The pairs do have obvious wear, but their surface looks much cleaner, with far less creasing than their calf brethren. The pairs have convinced me to give the material a go on my future shoe orders. There is no comparison to kangaroo leather.

Further reading:

http://www.vintageshoesaddict.com/mens_shoes/exotic_leather_shoes.htm

http://www.packerleather.com/kangaroo-leather.html

Picture: © Vintage Shoes Addict