Leather Belt Aging

A leather belt I bought at the start of sophomore year was stiff and uniform and looked like every other belt on the rack. After 18 months of daily wear the color has deepened from a tan to a rich amber and the surface has developed a pattern of creases and scuffs that tells the story of how I use it. Buckle hole I fasten at has stretched slightly and darkened from the brass pin. End that tucks through the loop has curled into a permanent curve, and these changes are not damage, they are the belt becoming mine unlike a new 1 yet anyone's. I want to understand why leather ages better than almost any other material used in clothing. I think the answer has to do with the fact that leather is skin, an organic material that responds to oils and moisture and friction by changing rather than degrading, absorbing rather than resisting. Belt was $45 from a company that stamps their name on the back in small letters and uses full-grain leather rather than the bonded or genuine leather that most belts at department stores are made from. Difference between those grades is the difference between a material that develops character and a material that cracks and peels. I now notice other people's belts, checking whether the leather has a patina or whether it still looks new. That observation, noticing how time marks an everyday object, is a habit I have developed since starting this course. Brass buckle has oxidized slightly, losing its shine and picking up a warmer tone. I prefer it this way because the muted brass matches the aged leather in a way that the original polished finish did not. I am curious whether I will still be wearing this belt in 10 years, and if I am, what it will look like by then. Sizing turned out to be slightly long, but rather than cutting it I let the extra leather hang. Excess has developed its own wear marks from brushing against my hip.