No Cows Were Harmed in the Making of This Product
What do you think of when you think about leather patches? For most, it’s the patch on a cowboy’s Wranglers. Leather patches make an immediate impact. Their distinct coloration, the way the design often appears to be burned or pressed into the material, the memorable smooth feel of the design side, or the textured feel of the back, each aspect of these patches is uniquely recognizable. When you’re looking for a rugged patch option to pull your look together, look no further than Signature Patches.
Our leather patches are actually made of a synthetic leather, so there’s no need to worry about any cows being lost to create your order. However, the look and feel of our synthetic leather patches is indistinguishable from the real thing. The potential uses for these patches are many, but in order to best decide whether this product is the best choice for your order, we thought it would be a good idea to examine some of your options for presenting your design in leather.
The Pros of Synthetic Leather Patches
There are, of course, different pros to each patch type. PVC patches are waterproof and weather resistant, making them perfect for outdoor uses. Woven patches capture a level of detail that’s not possible in other patch types. No matter what you want your patches for, we have a patch type that will accomplish your goals.
Synthetic leather patches fall under the category of our threadless patches, this is because their design is created without having to sew thread through a mesh weave like embroidered patches. But that doesn’t mean you can’t incorporate a little thread into your design if you like. The leather patch above was given a merrowed border just like any other similarly shaped patch could have been. This isn’t a necessary option for this patch type, but it does add a classic effect to the final look of the patch.
For anyone questioning why we use synthetic leather instead of real leather, the biggest answer is cost. Synthetic leather is less expensive, and therefore the cost of your patches will be lower than it would be if we used real leather. Also, with the cost reduction, there’s no reduction in quality. So if you can get the same kind of product at a lower cost, isn’t that worth it?
Beyond the cost consideration, there’s also the fact that synthetic leather is more resilient than real leather, easier to care for in the long run, and far less prone to scratching than real leather is. And because synthetic leather doesn’t retain water the same way leather does, it isn’t prone to warping or cracking in the same way.
Now that the advantages of synthetic leather have been made clear, the only question is what kind of leather patch is right for your order?
Designing Leather Patches
Custom designs can be added to your synthetic leather patches in a few different ways. Two of the most common options are to have designs either debossed or embossed onto the patch. An embossed design is raised against the background of the patch. This design option resembles the look and feel of embroidered patches which have their design created via stitching that rests above the mesh of the patch.
Debossed designs are the opposite of embossed: The design is recessed into the patch. If you’ve ever gotten a pair of blue jeans with a leather patch sewn into the waistline, there’s a good chance the logo on the patch was debossed instead of embossed. For that reason, this method is one of the more common options chosen in creating leather patches.
Debossed and embossed patches will have a specific texture to them, created by the raised and recessed portions of the design. For some customers, the feeling of the smooth surface of woven or heat transfer patches is preferable. If you’re not really looking to have your design raised above or recessed down into the patch, we also offer different printing options to get your design to lay flush.
Silkscreen and UV printing are two different options for getting a custom design onto a patch without having to change the feel of the patch. They also offer the easiest way to add color to the design of your patches. Silkscreen printing in particular is an easy way to get complex and layered color designs into place. This is because silkscreen printing is accomplished by creating specific stencils of a design and pressing the ink through those stencils. Because different areas of each stencil can be blocked off allowing ink to only pass through where it’s needed, you’re capable of getting multiple colors in place by using different stencils.
Ordering Synthetic Leather Patches
To make finding the best leather patch for your needs even easier, we offer a number of different colored leathers. In the end, it’s just about finding the best way to bring your custom designs to life. For certain looks, only a leather patch will do. When you partner with Signature Patches, you can rest assured that we have the ability to create the perfect patch to suit your needs.
The materials and process used to make synthetic leather patches is, of course, different from any of our other patches. As such, these patches are slightly more expensive than their embroidered and woven counterparts. But that slight increase in price is more than made up for in the quality and the uniqueness of the patches themselves. If you’re looking for the best addition to your motorcycle club’s leather vests or jackets, or you’re looking for the best way to unify your rodeo team, no other patch option is quite as appropriate. Contact us today to get your order started.
