​Ostrich Leather: Is the presence and number of follicles an indicator of prestige

Presence and number of follicles as an indicator of prestige

Ostrich leather has a particular texture, characterized by follicles, that is, the pores from where at one time the feathers came out. The more there are, the more prestigious the leather.

They are present mainly in the central part of the skin, occupying no more than 2/3 of the surface area. The sections without follicles are of no value, because from the external aspect no difference can be noticed between these parts and any other type of leather.

This does not mean, however, that an article with few follicles has a lower value or is not prestigious enough. It is absolutely acceptable and sometimes also judged positively. It happens often, especially nowadays, that fashion designers and producers of ostrich leather collections prefer to combine sections of leather both with and without follicles. Certainly the latter must not be visually predominant.

They do it for different reasons, including:

• to render the article more “dynamic” – if it is entirely covered by follicles, at times, it may be more monotonous;
• to maximize the use of the available leather, avoiding waste;
• to demonstrate that it is authentic ostrich leather with all its imperfections, which helps distinguish it from counterfeit items that are usually impeccable.