Deciding On the Right Belt Material for You

A leather belt is able to offer one of the most widely used accessories for complementing a range of outfits, and can be equally effective whether used as a fashion item or just for its practical use of keeping the garments up. Even though the belts are mainly manufactured in cowhide, they are also widely offered in many other animal skins, like buffalo, shark, stingray, lizard, ostrich, and alligator. Irrespective of the material used for manufacturing the belt, one key aspect that is likely to be very common among the different types of belts is that the material is able to offer the ideal level of comfort and flexibility in use, while also providing the ability to support the pants in staying up.

Here are some of the main types of belt material:

Leather – even though there are a range of cheaper alternatives in the market, a leather belt is still likely to outsell all other types available due to the high-quality of the material and design choices available. It is certain to come in a lot of colors, designs, styles, and sizes to enable it to complement almost any type of outfit. A reason for the leather belts to be that much more expensive than some of the cloth belts is due to the amount of time that is invested into the tanning process. The modern tanning process for preserving the skin for use on garments is likely to involve the use of chemical solvents, which is a far-sight quicker than the traditional practice of leaving the animal skins to dry in the sun.

Canvas – the canvas material is a woven and highly durable fabric that is mostly made using cotton, although alternative materials might be used in the process, such as hemp. A quality aspect of the canvas or cloth belts is that they need a lot less labor to manufacture, and therefore able to offer the much more affordable prices. Canvas belts started to become popular as fashion accessories in the 80s and 90s, and still remain popular in the mainstream market by those that are looking for the more low-priced products.

Recycled – one area that is starting to see a significant growth is with and the recycled rubber materials that are being used to produce a range of hard-wearing belts. Eco-minded companies are using inner tubes and similar items of rubber to refashion into a range of attractive belts, wallets, and handbags. A recycled product is certain to appeal to those that want to live a more responsible and sustainable lifestyle that is friendly to the environment.