6 Reasons Why Faux Leather Jackets Peel Plus How To Fix It

Sometimes faux leather jackets peel. I’m sure you might have had the experience with one or two of your faux leather jackets.

There are is one main reason that faux leather jackets peel.

The main reason why faux leather jackets will peel is that as the name implies, faux leather is actually not a durable material. It’s made of synthetic materials that will begin to peel and flake fall apart due to wear.

From my research, it turns out there’s actually a lot to this particular material and why it peels. Keep reading this article to find out more.

1. Faux Leather Is A Less Durable Material For Leather Jackets

As the name implies, “FAUX” leather jacket means the jacket is made from synthetic materials.

The name “Faux leather” is a polite or somewhat polished terminology for fake leather or synthetic leather.

Another popular name for faux leather is pleather.

These are the names generally given to any sort of leather that is made of fabric and a polyurethane coating.

So with that said, I’m sure you can begin to understand the primary reason why your jacket made from faux leather will peel.

Generally, leather made from real animals will do a much better job with time.

It will not wear like the way faux leather will and it will certainly not peel – except in very special circumstances.

2. Exposure To Heat Will Cause Faux Leather Jackets To Peel

It’s common knowledge that faux leather will generally peel and heat is one of the reasons why your jackets made of faux leather will peel.

Faux leather is made from synthetic substances which makes it more vulnerable to heat damage.

Leather jackets made from real leather will be able to withstand heat up to about 305°F.

This means if you decide to iron your leather jacket for any reason or the temperature where you live rises close to that of the 1922 El Azizia in Libya, jackets made from real leather will be able to withstand the heat.

Faux leather on the other hand is almost always heat-sensitive and with leather jackets 10/10 worn outside, it’s no denying your leather is going to submit to the heat and begin to peel with time.

When faux leather is exposed to heat, the chemical substances used to bond the topcoat to its lining or fabric will degrade and over time will begin to fall apart.

A typical example of heat that tend to do harm to faux leather jackets is sunlight.

3. Exposure Of Faux Leather Jacket To Too Much Water Will A Make It Peel

Contrary to faux leather jackets, the ones made from real leather will be porous. Because of this too much of its exposure to water can remove all of its essential oils that make the leather jacket supple.

Generally, faux leather jackets will do well with water than most natural or real leather jackets.

However, this doesn’t remove the long-term negative effect of water on the faux leather jacket.

Another thing is that not all faux leathers are the same. So the water resistance will vary greatly but the majority of them will be water-resistant.

The tricky part is a lot of the faux leather jackets you will come across will usually be made of vinyl which is waterproof.

However, the seams and linings, paddings, or fabric that are attached underneath the vinyl (to imitate the flesh side of real leather) may not be waterproof.

So if your faux leather jacket constantly gets into contact with water, the padding or lining will peel of the vinyl topcoat.

Also, some of the faux leather manufacturers usually put additives such as calcium carbonate or other ingredients as stretches for the faux leather material.

These additives tend to break down with faux leather’s constant exposure to water.

So you wouldn’t want your faux leather jacket getting stuck in the rain or thrown into a washing machine.

4. Your Faux Leather Jacket Will Peel Because It’s Ageing

Another common cause of your faux leather jacket peeling is aging. This is basically the faux leather jacket outliving its lifespan.

Your leather jacket peeling will be because the leather item is old and might be time to say goodbye to it or at least try out some easy ways to rejuvenate it.

While the durability and the length of time your faux leather jacket is going to last will depend on how the material is made, how well it’s cared for and maintained, and how often the leather jacket is used, faux leather jackets are still not going to last you a lifetime.

5. Lack Of Proper Care And Maintenance Cause led Faux Leather Jackets To Peel

Another thing that your peeling faux leather jacket can be attributed to will be the lack of proper care and maintenance.

I have seen or heard a lot of people say “oh it’s faux leather so it’s quite resistant” and they do not do much to help maintain it aside from occasionally brushing off the dust.

Generally, the fact that faux leather will require very little babying will be the main reason why most people will buy goods made from faux leather.

But the truth of the matter is that you cannot totally ignore the fact that you need to also give your faux leather items a bit of tender loving and care.

Just so we are on the same page, I don’t mean your faux leather jacket will require the same level of care like a real leather jacket will.

But the button line is a bit of care and maintenance will be needed to extend the life of your jacket.

6. Frequent Use Can Cause Faux Leather Jackets To Peel

The more you wear the faux leather jacket, the more the jacket stretches out, and the more wear it’s going to go through.

So if you enjoy wearing your favorite leather jacket so much and it happens it’s made from faux leather, it’s going to wear and some of the signs of wear will be peeling, cracking, and flaking on the jacket.

When I was in college and couldn’t afford a high-quality real leather jacket, my go-to was the ones made from faux leather.

I loved and grew very fond of my first ever leather jacket (which was obviously fake), and wore it rather too frequently.

So it cracked and peeled very badly.

Because faux leather jackets are generally cheap, I subsequently got new ones and had a routine so they did not wear as much as the first one did.

This “routine” was so that I could keep my faux leather jackets looking new throughout college and beyond.

I got about 3 or 4 extra faux leather jackets and then rotated them so that no particular one got too much wear.

I stuck to this routine no matter what – even if I grew very fond of one particular type of leather jacket.

This was how I was able to keep my faux leather jackets till I gifted them to my little brother as hand-downs.

How To Fix Peeling Faux Leather Jacket

There are a couple of methods you can use to fix peeling faux leather jackets. While some will require simple materials and processes others will be a lot more involving.

Check through my highlighted methods and choose one according to the kind of materials you have available, how much time you have, or which everyone you can handle.

1. Replace The Section

With this method, you can simply see a professional help you replace the entire peeling section of the faux leather jacket.

However, if you’re pretty handy and like to DIY things, then you can buy a piece of faux leather material and replace the entire section of the peeling faux leather jacket yourself.

You will be able to do a great job if you love and enjoy working with the sewing machine or hand-sewing things.

Pros:

You will have a professional finish
Give the leather a good permanent fix

Cons:

Needs a lot of skill in sewing
May be expensive if you see a professioal
May take a bit of time if you decide to DIY

All in all, this method is a very helpful way to fix peeling faux leather jackets.

If you have a bit of money and no time at hand, you can simply see a professional to help replace the entire section of the jacket that is blemished.

Otherwise, if you’re good at sewing and love to DIY, you can absolutely do it yourself.

2. The Permanent Marker Method

The permanent marker method is one of the basic ways to fix a peeling faux leather jacket.

Here’s how you use the permanent marker to fix the peeling faux leather jacket.

Things Needed:

A color matching marker pen
180 grit sandpaper
Shoe polish

Procedure:

Step 1: Sand to remove the peeling or flaking from the leather jacket using your 180 grit sandpaper.

It’s important to make sure all loose faux leather peelings are completely removed.

When sanding your peeling faux leather jackets, you would want to maintain a circular motion while applying minimal pressure.

Step 2: Carefully select a color of a permanent marker that matches the color of your leather jacket.

Step 3: Use your marker to shade the areas of the leather jacket that has been peeled.

Step 4: Apply neutral shoe polish over the surface of the leather with the blemish. Apply the shoe polish as evenly as possible.

Step 5: Apply clear nail polish over the blemished surface. The nail polish will serve as a sealant that locks the marker.

Step 6: Leave the leather jacket to air dry.

Now let’s take a look at the pros and cons of this method!

Pros:

It’s a beginner-friendly
It doesn’t get messy
It’s a fast way of remedying peeling leather jacket
It’s inexpensive

Cons:

The difficult part of this method is being able to find the exact color match for the leather jacket.

By following these simple processes you’re going to improve the appearance of your peeling faux leather jacket.

3. The Painting Method

Another way of fixing peeling faux leather jackets is using leather paint.

Things Needed:

Sandpaper 180 grit
Leather Paint

Procedure:

Step 1: Remove all loose strips and flakes on the surface of the faux leather jacket.

You can do this using your fingers and sandpaper. Make sure you do not remove more than necessary.

Step 2: If necessary, mix colors to match the blemished area. Otherwise, you can pick out an already mixed leather paint and you will be good to go.

Step 3: Now load your paintbrush with the leather paint and brush an even layer on the area of the leather jacket that is peeling.

You would want to use long horizontal strokes to cover the entire area. completely.

Step 4: Allow the layer of paint to dry for about 20 minutes.

Step 5: Make sure you let the paint dry for 30 minutes.

Step 6: You can apply additional coats of leather paint. Make sure you allow each application to dry thoroughly.