Naugahyde
By Caity Stockstell
2024-09-06
Naugahyde is a material owned by Uniroyal, a vinyl-coated fabric used in furniture and within vehicles. It was named after the town of Naugatuck in Connecticut, and was made from a chemical devised by a scientist at Uniroyal. It was one of the very first leather replacements on the commercial market, and could be made with less stitches than leather material. To alleviate consumer concern about Naugahyde’s artificiality, it was claimed it was made from the hide of a wild nauga (a fake animal), perhaps as a joke and a marketing tactic. Nauga Dolls were made of the same material, and were marketed toward children.