Crocodile vs Alligator vs Caiman

Across a room they read as one material. In the hand they are three, and the difference is money, weight and feel. Before you commission a jacket or buy a hide by the piece, it is worth ninety seconds learning to tell crocodile, alligator and caiman apart — because a lot of what is sold as "crocodile" is not.

Crocodile — the benchmark

Crocodile sets the standard everyone else is measured against: fine scales that grow gradually larger down the belly, a soft hand, and a natural lustre that does not need lacquer to shine. The tell is tiny — a small dot at the edge of each scale, the sensory pit, present on true crocodile and absent on alligator. It drapes without stiffness, which is why most of our outerwear is built from it.

Alligator — softer, and squarer

Alligator scales are larger and more rectangular, and the belly carries an umbilical mark that collectors actually seek out. There is no sensory pit. It is often the most supple of the three and it holds dye beautifully, so when a piece has to make a statement in a strong colour, alligator is usually the answer.

Caiman — firmer, and honest

Caiman is where most "budget crocodile" comes from, and it behaves differently because it is built differently: bony deposits sit under the scales, so the hide is harder, more ridged, less willing to drape. In the right hands that texture is characterful. In the wrong ones it feels like board. It is an honest material at an honest price, and a sensible first step into exotic leather.

• Crocodile: fine graduated scales, a sensory pit at each scale, soft drape — the benchmark.
• Alligator: larger square scales, no pit, very supple, takes strong colour best.
• Caiman: bony and ridged, firmer in the hand — the accessible choice.

The scale tells you the species. The hand tells you the quality.

So which should you buy

For a jacket you intend to keep for years, crocodile or alligator will reward you every time you put it on. For a first exotic piece, or a bolder texture, caiman is the honest entry. Whatever you choose, insist that the material is named precisely and that the piece is numbered — as ours are — and read how to care for it before it arrives, not after.