Fashion Terms — the Apparel Search fashion terminology directory
Kip is the untanned hide of a young or small animal, such as a calf, lamb, or young goat, and the leather made from such a hide is called kip leather. Kip leather, also called kipskin, is used to create high-end gloves. Because the hide comes from younger cattle, it produces a softer leather that is easier to break in, tends to be lighter in weight than other cowhide, and is soft and luxurious — qualities that make it a preferred material for high-end baseball gloves and for shoes, handbags, purses and other leather products.
What is kip
leather?
Kip is the
untanned hide of a young or small animal, such as a calf, lamb, or young
goat. The leather made from such hide is called kip leather.
Kip leather
(Kipskin) was recently introduced to the market and is used to create
high-end gloves. Kip leather hide is from younger cattle, producing a
softer leather that is easier to break-in (durability can potentially
become an issue).
Kip leather is
one of the types of leathers to be used to make baseball gloves.
Kip leather cowhide is soft & luxurious and used by some of the best
baseball glove manufacturing companies in the world. Kip leather tends
to be lighter in weight as compared to other cowhide. This makes kip
leather a preferred material for high-end baseball gloves where quick
hands are key.
Kip leather
can also be utilized for shoes, handbags, purses, and other types of
leather products.
Learn about different types of leather grain on the Fashion Blog.
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A hide from a younger, smaller animal has a tighter, finer fiber structure and less of the scarring and stretching that a longer life puts into a hide. Tanned, that structure gives kip leather its characteristic softness and smooth, luxurious hand. The same youth explains the two cautions that come with the material: a lighter, softer hide can be less rugged than a heavier cowhide from a mature animal, so durability can potentially become an issue in hard-wearing uses, and the smaller size of a young animal's hide limits the size of the panels that can be cut from one piece.
Gloves are the use where kip's combination of properties matters most. A glove has to flex constantly, fit closely and break in to the wearer's hand, and a softer, lighter leather does all three faster than a stiffer cowhide. In a baseball glove that break-in speed and light weight translate directly into playing performance — a lighter glove moves faster, and a pocket that forms quickly is ready for play sooner — which is why kip leather cowhide is the choice of high-end baseball glove makers even though it costs more than standard cowhide.
The same softness carries into shoes, handbags and purses, where kip leather gives a smooth surface and a supple feel that reads as luxury. In footwear it suits dress and casual shoes more than heavy work boots, where a thicker mature hide is the better tool. In bags and purses it provides a fine grain that takes cutting and stitching cleanly. Readers comparing leathers can follow the leather grain guide on the Fashion Blog linked on this page, and the leather definition and pleather term pages in More to Explore for neighboring material terms.
The leather made from a kip — the untanned hide of a young or small animal, such as a calf, lamb or young goat. Kip leather from younger cattle is softer and lighter than other cowhide.
It is soft and luxurious, lighter in weight than other cowhide, and easier to break in, which suits high-end baseball gloves where quick hands are key. Some of the best baseball glove manufacturing companies in the world use it.
High-end gloves generally, plus shoes, handbags, purses and other types of leather products. Its softness suits products that are handled and flexed in use.