Nappa leather is a kind of full-grain leather. It was first made by Emanuel Manasse in the year 1875. Manasse worked for a tanning company in Napa, California. That is how it gets its name.
Leather is made from kid, lamb or sheep skin, and it is ‘unsplit’. The tanning process for this leather makes use of artificial tannins such as aluminum sulfate, chromium sulfate and other such salts.
Nappa leather is typically dyed so as to obtain various colors.
The main difference between Nappa and standard leather, is that Nappa is generally softer. It has also been dyed with water-soluble colorants, which makes the material more resistant to light. This helps to reduce fading of its color and keeps the material true to form during the life of the vehicle.
Another benefit of Nappa leather is that because of the added coating it has received it is easier to clean than regular leather. The extra sanding that is applied to the Nappa leather also makes it extremely smooth
Properties of Nappa Leather
The leather is very soft and pliable. It is not hard like other leathers and does not crease.
Nappa leather is tough and durable in spite of being soft and is not easily spoiled.
The leather has an intact top-grain, hence it is more “breathable” and does not retain moisture.
The leather often develops a patina over the years that adds to its aesthetics.
