Method for making stretch leather composites and articles containing the same

1. A method of making stretch leather composites for footwear, the method comprising:

providing semi-finished leather;

splitting the semi-finished leather to obtain a final split having a thickness of from about 0.10 mm to about 1.25 mm;

drying the final split to obtain a crust;

laminating the crust with a stretch fabric impregnated with a stiffener to prepare a laminate; and

removing the stiffener from the stretch fabric after preparing the laminate;

wherein removing the stiffener includes dissolving the stiffener in a liquid solution,

wherein the laminating includes the use of an adhesive.

2. The method of claim 1 ,

wherein the semi-finished leather comprises pig belly leather.

3. The method of claim 2 ,

wherein the semi-finished leather comprises pig wet blue leather.

4. The method of claim 3 , comprising:

obtaining pig wet blue leather;

splitting the pig wet blue leather to obtain a grain-side split having a thickness from about 1 mm to about 2 mm;

skiving the grain-side split; and

buffing the grain-side of the grain-side split.

5. The method of claim 4 , comprising:

retanning the grain-side split into a natural crust;

sammying the grain-side split to about 50% by weight moisture content; and

milling the grain-side split.

6. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

drying the final split to a moisture content of from about 12% to about 14% by weight; and

staking the final split.

7. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

applying a polyurethane hot-melt film to a first surface of the stretch fabric impregnated with stiffener to create an adhesive surface;

disposing the adhesive surface of the stretch fabric impregnated with stiffener so that the adhesive surface is in direct contact with and covers a second surface of the final crust to prepare a pre-laminate;

feeding the pre-laminate through an ironing machine to prepare the laminate;

cooling the laminate to room temperature; and

aging the laminate.

8. The method of claim 7 ,

wherein the second surface corresponds to a flesh-side surface of the final crust,

wherein the final crust includes a buffed grain surface opposite the flesh-side surface.

9. The method of claim 1 ,

wherein the final split is a split layer obtained by splitting the semi-finished leather and the final split is not a grain layer.

10. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

re-tanning and fat-liquoring the laminate;

sammying the laminate;

milling the laminate;

dying the laminate; and

drying the laminate to a moisture content of about 14% to about 16% by weight,

wherein the stiffener is dissolved in a liquid solution present during at least one of the re-tanning and fat-liquoring step and the dying step,

wherein the liquid solution is present naturally in and utilized to process the laminate in the at least one of the re-tanning and fat-liquoring step and the dying step.

11. The method of claim 1 ,

wherein the stiffener is a starch,

wherein the stretch fabric impregnated with starch comprises an elastomeric fiber in at least one of a stretched state and an unstretched state.

12. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

at least one of re-tanning, fat-liquoring and dying the laminate; and

dissolving the stiffener in a liquid solution present during the at least one of the re-tanning, fat-liquoring and dying the laminate, such that no other solvent need be added to carry out the dissolving the stiffener.

13. The method of claim 11 ,

wherein the stretch fabric impregnated with starch comprises a stretch fabric comprising about 96% by weight cotton and about 4% by weight polyester and includes a thickness of about 0.25 mm to about 1 mm.

14. A stretch leather composite prepared by the method of claim 1 .

15. The stretch leather composite of claim 14 ,

wherein the stretch leather composite has a tensile strength of about 100 kg/cm2 in a first direction.

16. The stretch leather composite of claim 14 ,

wherein the stretch leather composite is about 3 ft2 to about 4.5 ft2 in dimension.

17. The stretch leather composite of claim 14 ,

wherein the stretch leather composite can stretch up to 80% by length.

18. The stretch leather composite of claim 14 ,

wherein the stretch leather composite can be cycled between a maximally stretched state and an unstretched state at least 200 times without structural damage altering the shape of the stretch leather composite in the unstretched state.

19. A method of making stretch leather composites for footwear, the method comprising:

laminating a leather crust with a stretch fabric impregnated with a starch to prepare a laminate; and

removing the starch from the stretch fabric after preparing the laminate;

wherein removing the starch includes dissolving the starch in a liquid solution.

20. The method of claim 19 , comprising:

at least one of re-tanning, fat-liquoring and dying the laminate; and

dissolving the starch in the liquid solution which is present during the at least one of the re-tanning, fat-liquoring and dying the laminate, such that no other additional solvent need be added to carry out the dissolving of the starch.