Argentina’s INTI launches online course on leather identification

INTI has put leather identification front and center with a fully online Cuero Legítimo course aimed at professionals, technicians and businesses across the leather chain. Delivered in Spanish through the institute’s virtual campus, the program is built for people who source hides, compare materials and need to know exactly what they are buying.

The course runs from July 7 to 28 and carries a published fee of AR$75,000 in Argentina or US$200 for foreigners and residents abroad. INTI lists entrepreneurs, organizations and makers in marroquinería, accessories, apparel and footwear as its target audience, a clear signal that the class is meant to reach both small workshop operators and larger commercial buyers.

Its syllabus goes straight to the questions that matter in a leather shop or buying office: the definition of genuine leather, an introduction to animal fibers, species differences and microscopy in hides and skins. That mix of material knowledge and inspection skills is the practical core of the course. For makers, it can sharpen the ability to judge whether a strap, trim or hide matches its label. For businesses, it can support more confident purchasing, cleaner product descriptions and fewer mistakes when a batch arrives looking less like leather than the paperwork suggested.

The training sits inside a wider INTI push around certification and traceability. The institute’s leather area says it has more than 50 years of experience supporting the leather, footwear and related industries, and its certification framework describes INTI as an independent third-party certifier meant to build trust for users and buyers. Its Cuero Legítimo standards apply to leather goods, apparel, accessories, footwear and related products when the visible external surface is more than 80% genuine leather or animal fibers. INTI also describes the seal as a brand in the process of registration and approval by INPI, and the certification itself is voluntary.

That context matters because the course is not just about terminology. It gives makers a way to read materials with more confidence, whether they are checking a supplier’s claim, standardizing output in a workshop or explaining product quality to a customer. INTI launched four voluntary certifications in the first half of 2024, including Cuero Legítimo and a vegan-product certification, and the new class extends that same effort to the people handling leather every day.