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10 Reasons Why Leather Belts Are Expensive
Exotic Leather Belts Are Expensive Due to a Low Supply of the Hide
Belts straps created from exotic leathers such as reptiles, fish, and ostrich have an average cost of $95 to $395 due to a low supply and high demand. Approximately 1% of leather hides are exotic. The percentage continues to decline, increasing the price as animal rights supporters fight to eliminate these hides from the fashion industry.
Trafalgar and Tecovas are two established companies that sell exotic belts.
| Leather Type | Strap Size | Price | Company |
| Genuine Lizard (Java) | 25mm 30mm | $220-$250 | Trafalgar |
| Genuine Lizard | 35mm | $95 | Tecovas |
| Genuine Alligator | 25mm3 0mm | $375-$395 | Trafalgar |
| Genuine Alligator | 35mm | $225 | Tecovas |
| Ostrich | 35mm | $150 | Tecovas |
Luxury Belts Use Calf Leather Because of Its Beautiful Smooth Appearance
The average cost of luxury leather belts like Luis Vuitton and Gucci is $160-$520. The high price is a result of the brand name, but the use of calf vs. cowhide leather in the belt significantly increases the cost because calf hides are more expensive per pound because of their beautiful grain appearance, smooth texture, and flexible surface.
Most leather belts from luxury fashion designers such Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Gucci use calf leather. But not all calf leathers are alike. Hermes uses leather from a small German tannery with hundreds of years of experience producing quality leather calf hides.
Hermes belts lower-end belts cost approximately $400, while the high-end belts cost nearly $3700. The most commonly purchased belts are reversible and have a price range of $325 – $520.
The Fort Belvedere belts have a more affordable price, and they use the same German Tannery as Hermes for their leather hides. Purchasing a belt from Fort Belvedere is a great way to get a high-end leather belt at a much lower price.
Louis Vuitton and Gucci also use calf leather, but they are not as transparent with the calf leather’s specifics used for their belts.
I have included some sizing information and general pricing on male, female, and unisex leather belts from each company.
| Leather Type | Strap Size Diameter | Price | Company |
| Calf | 13mm (women) 24mm (women) 32mm (unisex) | $325-$520 | Hermes |
| Calf | 32mm (unisex) 38mm (men) | $455-$520 | Hermes |
| Calf | 30mm | $160 | Fort Belvedere |
| Calf | 25mm (women) 30mm (women) | $590-$655 | Louis Vuitton |
| Calf | 40mm (men) | $590-$820 | Louis Vuitton |
| Calf | 20mm (women) | $360-$950 | Gucci |
| Calf | 38mm (men) | $460-$1200 | Gucci |
Luxury leather belts are typically created in countries where the metric system is used for measurements. I live in the United States and sometimes it is difficult for me to used the system for taking body measurements.
I have include a handy mm to inches conversion for those that find the Imperial measurement system of the United States easier to use.
| Millimeters (mm) | Inches (in) |
| 13mm | 0.51 inches |
| 24mm | 0.94 inches |
| 32mm | 1.3 inches |
| 35mm | 1.3 inches |
| 38mm | 1.5 inches |
| 40mm | 1.58 inches |
Cowhide Leather Belts Become More Expensive With Intricate Tooling
Cowhide leather is the stiffest, heaviest, and most durable hide for creating leather belts.
Leather belts created from cowhides are generally inexpensive and cost approximately $50 – $75. However, leather belts with intricate tooling, carvings, paintings, and stainings can quickly increase the price of the belt.
Many leather crafters will charge a flat rate for the construction of a general cowhide leather belt. A rate of about $20/hr is charged for tooling and special designs, and colors. Tooling can take 4 – 6 hours easily making a $50 leather cowhide belt at $200 belt.
The beauty of this is a unique belt that will last a lifetime. Intricate tooling designs produce leather belts that are just as expensive as luxury leather belts. the least expensive leather for creating belts. It is the stiffest, heaviest, and most durable of all the leathers used to make belts.
Leather Belts From Luxuory Designers Are More Expensive
On first site, many people can’t tell if a leather belt is made from genuine exotic leather skins or supple leather calf hides. But most people easily recognized the names and symbols or companies that are associated with expensive luxuries.
Hermes was once associated with aristocrats and nobles and this attracts many individuals that have a high disposable income. A brand that attracts this type of clientele will always charge a large amount of money to maintain its image.
Luxury named belts from this post include Hermes, Gucci, Louis Vuitton. Each belt also has a highly recognizable belt buckle.
Expensive Leather Belts Are Made From Multiple Layers of Leather
Expensive high-quality leather belts are constructed from at least two layers of leather. The highest quality of expensive belts is built from three layers to ensure that they will last a long time.
There will be leather representing the outer shell and a different leather representing the belt’s inner shell.
Don’t be fooled by the cheap leather belts found in chain stores. The cheap belts look good in the store and have a label of “genuine leather” embossed or printed somewhere on the belt. Additionally, the price is approximately $20
The construction of “genuine leather” belts consists of multiple layers of synthetic leather instead of real leather.
The inside of the synthetic leather belt straps are composed of composite leather pieces. Composite leather is cut-up scraps of leather glued together and poorly stitched inside the synthetic leather layers, often leading to cracks and splits in the belt.
The Fort Belvedere leather belts are uniquely layered for luxury and comfort. The belts are composed of three layers, and the inside layer is constructed from Saffiano leather. Saffiano is a luxury leather from a tannery in Italy and patented by Prada.
Expensive Leather Belts Are Constructed From Full Grain Leathers
Full Grain
The type of leather grain used to make the belt has a significant effect on the price. Full-Grain leather is the highest quality of leather used for belt making.
A full-grain surface goes by several names “uncorrected” and “untouched” are the most common.
Uncorrected means that the leather hide does not undergo any treatment to remove imperfections. The leather hide has to be in pristine shape for consideration as a full-grain piece.
Sometimes small scars, blemishes, and markings are acceptable because they add character, but the leather has to be nearly perfect for full-hide consideration.
Since the full-grain leather surface is not corrected, only the best pieces of leather are used. The supply of leather hides that qualify for full-grain is limited, making the price expensive. Therefore belts made from full-grain leather will be the most costly.
Top-Grain or Corrected-Grain
Top-grain belts are similar to full-grain, except the imperfections are removed by sanding and finished with a top surface. The top surface has color and an appearance that simulates a full-grain surface.
Belts made from top-grain leather are a little cheaper than those made from full-grain.
Expensive Leather Belts Have Quality Interchangeable Hardware
Most belts come with the buckle permanently attached to the strap. If the belt needs adjustments for any reason, a professional will need to cut the belt to the correct size and then restitch the belt. Finding a leather crafter to do belt alterations is expensive and time-consuming.
Expensive belts with a price range of $400 – $600 are worth it if the belts are modular. The modular system consists of chrome-tanned leather straps and removable buckles.
The buckles are constructed from heavy metal with a plated finish. Some rare buckles are gold-plated, making them worth over $2000.
The most modular belts will have reversible straps where multiple belt combinations can be created. Two reversible straps and three buckles provide 12 possible belt combinations.
Expensive Leather Belts Have Superior Edge Treament
Most leather belts’ edges will be sanded, burnished, and given an edge treatment such as dye or paint. Treated edges look good until the paint begins to wear off.
Expensive belts will have rolled edges. The edges will be thinned by skiving. Once skived, the edges will be folded over on themselves, creating a smooth edge.
Skiving and folding require more skill and time but results in a beautiful, consistent edge compared to painting.
Fort Belvedere was the only belt investigated that used rolled edges to finish the edges of the leather belt.
Expensive Belts Are a Result of a Companies Committment to Uniqueness
Tecovas has been questioned on outsourcing leather belt production to Mexico. Management has cited better quality by outsourcing for a few reasons.
Tecovas is committed to delivering products of the highest quality, and they have partnered with experienced artisans in Leon, Mexico, for two reasons. Their experience and location allow them the ability to monitor the production closely.
Hermes started in France, where the home office is located. However, Hermes has 311 stores located within 45 countries. Hermes provides uniqueness to its products by allowing the stores to integrate their local culture into the products. This unique aspect adds to the expensiveness of the leather belt. Leather belts ordered online are integrated with the French culture. Ordering the products online will allow you to purchase
Every company discussed in this article had an excellent return policy of at least 30 days after receiving the belt. Thirty days is more than enough time to test the belt to see if it meets your needs. Each company also provided specific information on how to size yourself for their particular belt. I found this information very helpful in reducing the amount of sizing issues and reducing the number of returns. The policies are also effective for defective belts.
Expensive belts are handcrafted rather than an assembly line
Hermes belts and products are created by artisans that specialize in certain skills. The specialty along with the cost of labor is much higher than something created on an assembly line. It also takes a lot longer for a product to be hand crafted and therefore more time equals more money.
The Fort Belvedere leather belts are also handmade. As a leathercrafter, I can appreciate the fact that the Fort Belvedere belts are constructed by a family in Portugal that specializes in hand stitching the three-layer belt.
Are expensive belts worth it?
Expensive belts with a price range of $400 – $600 are worth it if the belts are modular. The modular system consists of chrome-tanned leather straps and removable buckles.
Most belts come with the buckle permanently attached to the strap. If the belt needs to adjust for any reason, a professional will need to cut and restitch it. I hear people all the time looking for someone to adjust their belt after they have lost or gained weight. You won’t have to worry about this with a modular system.
I initially thought that the Hermes belts were costly. But after considering each reversible side of the leather strap as a different belt, I quickly realized that each belt was around $200 to $400, which was equivalent to the prices of some of the exotic leather belts.
Is an expensive belt more durable?
The durability of a belt does not correlate with the price. While most luxury brands will use higher quality leather hides, hardware, and talented artisans, the high cost outweighs the durability benefits. Belts created from high-quality parts will be more durable than poorly made parts.
However, leather belts last longer with proper cleaning and maintenance. A health maintenance routine includes cleaning and conditioning the belt strap according to the manufactures instructions. When not in use, leather belts should be stored properly.
How long should the warranty be on an expensive belt?
Expensive leather belts are typically high quality and have some form of customization added to them. A reputable company will replace any defective belt free of charge and will issue refunds or exchanges within 30 days for products that are still in new conditions.
I would stay away from companies that do not have these general procedures in place.
How expensive are hand crafted leather belts?
A professional leather crafter will charge $50 – $200 for a hand crafted cowhide leather belt. Expect a flat rate of $50 – $75 for a plain belt with stitching constructed from quality leather. You can expect to receive a belt with no scratches, wrinkles, or inconsistencies.
However, Professionals charge an hourly rate when stamping and tooling are involved, and the price of the belt increases to more than double the price of a basic belt.
The price increase results from the professional leather crafter charging by the hour rather than a flat rate.
Adding simple stamps to the belt doesn’t require additional time and has a minimum effect on its price. Complex stamping and tooling could take 4- 6 hours to complete.
So it’s not unreasonable to expect to pay a professional that charges $20 – $25 an hour for a belt with detailed stamping, tooling, and finishing.
A hobbyist will typically charge around $10 – $30 for a similar leather belt. The difference in the two construction belts’ prices is that a professional leather crafter will have a more comprehensive leather selection to customize it.
Additionally, professional leathercrafters have specialized skills in tooling and applying special applications such as pyrography, antiquing, and unique finishes. A hobbyist will have a much smaller selection of leather and a lower level of skill level.
There will always be exceptions to the rule, but this is pretty standard. I have experience and some tooling skills, but I still consider myself a hobbyist. My belts are typically in the range of $50.
