1. Why leather is expensive

First and foremost, leather comes in cow sizes. The cut piece of leather in the picture above has a flaw near the punched hole. That said, it gets increasingly difficult for any particular leather to be flawless as the size increases.

As an illustration, it is more difficult to obtain a flawless leather for a Macbook Pro 17 inch leather laptop sleeve than it is for a Macbook Pro 15 or 13 inch. Consider the difficulties in belts-making too. How about the making of furniture which uses wood that also comes in natural sizes?

The larger the size, the fewer the flaws, the more expensive the leather.

2. Why “leather” peels

http://www.mainlychairs.co.nz/leather%20advice.htm

A case study revolving leather furniture which offers insights into why some “leather” belts peel and tear easily.

2. How leather is made:

What we like about this video:

- 4:48 min: Explains creases and scars on leather.