With so much variety in price difference online it is easy to get confused.with similar design but different prices. Words like Analine, drum dyed, Naked cowhide are confusing for the new rider who is looking for his/her first Jacket. I will go over some of the top terms used in leather industry.

Cowhide as a category covers a wide spectrum of textures and quality, but generally, it is quite durable, easy to care for and resistant to water and dirt. Cowhide leather will maintain its integrity, taking on the shape of the wearer, making it more comfortable with everyday use. This affordable, functional leather offers fashion, value and endless colours and style. We have Premium Cowhide Jackets in our eBay store

Drum Dyed A dyeing process in which leather is immersed in dye and tumbled in a rotating drum, allowing maximum dye penetration.

ANILINE A colorless, oily, benzene derivative, Aniline leather is tumbled in vats so the dye is completely absorbed by the skin. There is no other colouring agents or process, thus the finished leather tends to look and feel more "natural" - the unique markings and character of each skin are apparent. By way of analogy, this treatment is akin to the "staining" of wood. Usually, the best quality hides are reserved for this process, as aniline leather is valued high by consumers.

NAKED LEATHER (being without addition, concealment, disguise, or embellishment)
A leather with no surface, impregnated treatment of finish (other than dye) which might mask or alter the natural state of the leather.
Naked leathers are valued highest by consumers. Soft from day one, does not require a break-in period! Hides up to/usually 2.0mm thick, dyed but not finished, so some tiny imperfections (like barbed-wire marks) are still present. This is desirable to most people. Comfortable when brand new! They are more expensive because the hides must be hand selected for uniformity. We have Naked Premium Cowhide Jackets in our eBay store

Full Grain or Premium Cowhide
A term describing hides with a minimal amount of scars or blemishes, usually less than 5% of all hides. Hides are between 1.3mm to 2.0mm
During the tanning process, the hides go through an extra step to soften and condition them WITHOUT losing any strength. Does not require a break-in period. Also more expensive because of the longer tanning process. Rarely used by "discount leather" manufacturers.

Suede
Suede is the underneath portion of a hide after the splitting process. Compared to the durable top grain, this layer of the hide is much thinner and most commonly used for garments and small leather goods

Cowhide is the preferred but also most expensive leather to produce. It is made from the same type of cow we think of here in the United States. It is preferred because of the combination of strength and pliability, or 'softness'.

Buffalo hides do not come from American Bison. They come from Water Buffalo, but the term 'Water' is dropped so that there aren't any negative associations with it. It is one of the most common types of leather.

There are two primary types of Coloring methods: Drum dying and Analine dying.
Drum dying method puts all the hides in a large tank containing colored dye (usually black.) This is the most common method of coloring. After it comes out of the tank, the leathers are sorted. All Top Grains and most Bottom or Split Hides have defects in them. Those Full Grains with very few defects are set aside for open-air drying, these will eventually be called "Naked Leathers" because no further finishing will take place. The remaining hides will be sprayed with an additional coat of dye to fill-in and cover up the defects. Many Split Hides will also be run through a machine which "stamps" a grain pattern in the hide. It is difficult to tell a Grained Split Hide from a true Top Grain after the full finishing process has taken place.
Analine dying runs the hide piece by piece through a machine in a conveyor fashion that "injects" the leather as it passes. This takes longer but does a more thorough job. Needless to say, it is more expensive. Analine finished leathers also aren't as shiny as Drum dyed leathers, and are sometimes referred to as "Semi-Naked Leathers".

Naked Leather is a term used to describe hides that are tanned and colored (dyed) but are not finished as you would think of. Since the finishing process is used to hide natural defects in the leather, Naked Leather hides must be hand selected for thickness, uniformity of grain, and lack of defects. Because they are unfinished, they are extremely soft to the touch and have that "broken-in" appearance and feel while still brand new. Naked Leather hides are not defect-free, they just have fewer imperfections.
One additional method is called Waxing, which is what the term "Waxy Cowhide" refers to. The cheapest Split Hides are occasionally run through a conveyor that uses a Wax/Dye Sublimation process to basically "melt crayons" into the hide. This can be either very expensive or very cheap, depending on how many imperfections in the hide there are and the type of machinery it's run on. There is no grain on a Waxy Cowhide and it is almost as glossy as Patent Leather, so it has very few and limited uses. Most Waxy Cowhide in Motorcycle Apparel is of the cheaper variety.

Countries of Origin
At the time of this writing there were 3 known companies that will tailor-make CUSTOM (translated "expensive") biker apparel. Some companies have even been known to sew "Made in USA" labels on imported garments, but even Harley-Davidson imports their licensed apparel. That being said, here are the countries that export the most leather to the United States:

Pakistan: Today they are the number 1 suppliers. Any quality Motorcycle Apparel and even American Automobile Leather comes from here. Mostly Buffalo, Cow and Lamb skins are imported from Pakistan.

China: Their leather is almost entirely Pigskin which is a primary reason for their cheapest pricing.

Indonesia: Not as cheap as Chinese leather, but mostly Buffalo and Pigskin and allegedly using both child and slave labor

Italy: They still produce beautiful fashion-grade leather apparel which is not suitable for motorcycle use. Almost entirely Deer, Goat or Lambskin, it is made for occasional wear and light use only.

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