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Sheepskin quality grades
Sheepskin Grading
In today's increasingly global marketplace, sheepskin is sourced from many regions around the world and may be described by a variety of names and terms. In our lexicon, the finest grade of sheepskin is lambskin slink. The next finest grade of sheepskin is Spanish Merino shearling, followed by several other shearling sources. In general, the quality of sheepskin is determined by the softness, consistency and uniformity of the leather and fur. The better grades of sheepskin will be softer, more supple, with uniformly dense wool fur and uniform leather grain and fewer to no blemishes or inconsistencies (in either the leather or the wool fleece). In general, the quality of a sheepskin coat is determined by the breed of sheep (there are many breeds of sheep, bread for many different purposes), the climate and conditions in which the sheep live, the tanning process, the quality control used during sorting and matching of skins and the craftsmanship of the coat maker.
Sheepskin is sourced worldwide, possibly forwarded to tanneries in other countries and possibly made in yet another country. To more accurately differentiate the quality grades of our sheepskin coats, we at Kangaroo Crossing have categorized our coats as one of 3 quality grades: Good, Better and Best.
Good: Pliable hide, soft wool fleece. Our thickest and heaviest grade. The hide may contain minor scars or marks from life in the fields. In general, our "Good" grade represents a nice, basic sheepskin. Examples of source countries include USA, Australia, Uraguay. We only accept the best of what we consider to be the "Good" grade.
Better: Soft, supple hide, very few if any, minor hide marks, soft, uniform wool, ease of movement in the garment. Our "Better" grade represents the premium end of the shearling market. These sheepskins are often from Spain or Italy and include Spanish merino and Toscana breeds.
Best: Softest and most supple hides. Lightest weight and most comfortable to wear. Very soft wool (curly or straightened) - no prickle factor. No hide scars. Typically our "Best" grade features New Zealand lambskin slink hides.
Generally, the price of a sheepskin coat should reflect the quality of the hides used to make that coat. Lambskin slink hides cost at least twice as much as the finest Spanish Merino hides.
The lower grades of shearling tend to be thicker, rougher and heavier.
Lambskin slink:
Slink is the very finest, most luxurious grade of sheepskin available in the world and the main source country is New Zealand. These skins become available during the Spring lambing season where there is about a 10% fatality rate. It is not uncommon for sheep to have multiple births and unfortunately many are still-born. Slink is internationally prized because of its limited supply, its velvety soft, supple leather and its featherlight weight. Typically slink lambskin coats have naturally curly wool on the inside which although not thick, traps body heat to keep the wearer warm and comfortable. Occasionally the curly wool will be "ironed" straight for a more fur-like appearance. A design challenge presented by slink skins is that their relatively small size (approximately 2 square feet) requires more seams than larger shearling skins. Crafting a coat from slink is truly an art! The beauty of slink coats is that they keep you warm and comfortable but are not at all bulky and cumbersome like traditional lower grade sheepskin coats.
Sueded versus Nappa Finish
We offer all of our sheepskin coat styles in both suede (traditional) finish and Nappa (full-grain leather-like finish). The nappa (Pesca) finish is smooth and has a shine to it. In addition to a more sophisticated look, the nappa finish is more stain resistant than the suede (Habana) finish and easier to keep clean.
Shearling (Double Face)
The term shearling comes from the fact that the wool fur on sheepkins used to make most garments is indeed sheared to a desired length (typically 8 to 12 mm thick). Shearling skins typically come from one year to two year old sheep. Although older sheep do produce larger skins which are easier to work with, the older skins tend to be thicker and less supple, and therefore not as comfortable to wear. As identified above, shearling sheepskins come in many grades of quality. Lesser quality grades tend to be thicker, stiffer, and not as uniformly consistent (leather or fur). The weight of a finished sheepskin coat will be influenced also by the thickness of the fur.
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