Exotic Leather Handbags

• All alligator products produced today come from the American Alligator, no longer an endangered species since the conservation initiatives of ‘67 and ’87, when they were removed from the list. Found only in the Southeastern US, the American Alligator is the smaller of the two crocodilian skins used to assemble top exotic leather handbags.


• The most coveted skins from this family come from the largest of all living reptiles - Crocodile Porosus, a saltwater crocodile found throughout Southeast Asia and Australia. The commercial value of Crocodile Porosus hide is very high; the most valuable of any crocodile species.


• Its desirability is due to the size and shape of the belly scales, and the lack of ventral osteoderms, which otherwise make tanning difficult. Many of the top brand designers, such as Hermès and Gucci, use this gorgeous and expensive skin for their prized lines.


• There are a number of dealers that’ll call any crocodile skin Porosus to purposefully charge higher prices. You can determine genuine porosus by understanding its genetic makeup. Crocodile Porosus scales on the flanks (sides) are more oval in shape than other species, although belly scales are rectangular in shape, evenly laid out, tight, and relatively small. For the best example of this skin, simply look at an Hermès Crocodile Birkin bag. All are done in Crocodile Porosus.

• With their distinctive natural scales, folds and ridges crocodile and alligator leathers are tough and are among the most durable leathers in the world.


• Each purse will always have its own unique texture and pattern which makes it different from any other.


• Alligator and crocodile handbags are also treated with a variety of finishes. The Matte, Classic and Bombe finishes are the most common on exotic leather handbags.

• The variety of types, patterns, coloring and textures available with snake and lizard skins have prompted many high-end designers to incorporate them into their fashion lines.


• Snakeskin is quite thin and it's much softer than other exotic leathers, therefore the final products made of snakeskin can be much more sophisticated in design.


• There are several preferred types of snakes used for exotic leather handbags that include python, boa, cobra and sea snakes.


• Of the four, sea snakes are most desirable for their beautiful and delicate skins. They are also the most deadly. Soft and flexible, they have a very distinctive clear pattern of hexagon scales. It’s easily tanned and dyed to create a myriad of different colors and shades.


• One interesting note is that snake skins are prone to rapid fading and discoloration in direct sunlight. Natural python and cobra are known to turn yellow due to overexposure to sunlight.


• Unfortunately, it’s impossible to hide from the sun, but a good habit is to minimize exposure or to use it mostly at night.


• When not in use, store your snakeskin purse in a dark, cool place, like in its box or dust bag.

Shark: Dig Deeper, Stingray: Dig Deeper and Eel: Dig Deeper

• Stingray leather is beautifully exotic, with a texture of small, round, rock hard pearls, it’s probably the most fascinating of all the exotic leathers. It has a texture which feels wonderful to run your fingers over.


• Stingray leather has been coveted by artisans for millennia. From the Ancient Egyptians to the Japanese Samurai, many of our greatest cultures have fashioned stingray leather into garments and other items.


• Due to it unusual strength and beauty, Samurai used it for body armor and sword handles.



• All the tiny pearls of stingray leather are grown with their roots into the bottom layer of the leather, and you can neither cut the leather with a knife, nor tear it apart. The scales also protect it from fire damage.


• The natural color of stingray leather is dark green which can be re-colored and polished to produce a variety of designs and patterns for a large number of fashion products.


• By many, it’s considered the most durable leather in the world and with the proper care, the handbags, wallets and accessories made from stingray leather will often last a lifetime.


• Sharkskin leather is becoming more and more popular due to its unique beauty and versatility as a material to be worked into exotic leather handbags and other unique products.


• Generally, three sharks are used for their leather; the short fin mako, the sandbar shark and the most fearsome of the three, the tiger shark.


• The unique tiger-stripe pattern of the tiger shark makes it the most sought after leather in the shark family.





• Eel skin is another animal skin used for exotic leather handbags and accessories. It’s highly prized for its beauty.


• It’s very smooth in touch and has elegant horizontal pin-stripe like patterns.


• It’s more fragile and delicate than other skins such as cowhide, snakeskin, crocodilian or stingray, but it’s the eel skin’s suppleness and soft finish that make it increasingly more popular.


• Making exotic leather handbags from eel skin begins with its processing. Once the skin has been removed, all the natural fats and oils are gleaned from it.


• Preparing the leather continues with it being dried, cut and pressed, then it’s assembled with separate linings and other material according to the design of the bag it’s being made into.


• Eels most desirable for exotic skin handbags are found in the Sea of Japan, near South Korea, China and Japan.

• Ostrich leather is much sought after as it’s one of the toughest and most pliable of all exotic skins.


• Once native to the African Savannahs, now Ostriches are very successfully farmed in South Africa and Thailand.


• Originally, highly desired for their beautiful feathers that graced many hats of the 19th century’s aristocracy, they’re now renowned for their superb leather.


• The reason for its elegant beauty is its exquisite pattern of sockets, which is where the feathers were attached to the skin. They are called quill marks.


• Full quill ostrich leather is the most desirable and prestigious. This is when the front and back of the bag is covered in quill.


• Small lines and scratches are perfectly normal when closely examining the leather. Ostriches are farmed and raised in the outdoors, usually on large farms where they can run wild. These amazing flightless birds can reach very high speeds when running and are known for minor scarring and abrasions all over their body. Scratches on the leather are signs of authenticity.

Go to our next page to learn how to clean and preserve exotic leather handbags to get the best out of them for generations to come.

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Alligator Leather
Crocodile Leather
Ostrich Leather
Snake Skins
Eel Skins
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