UPDATE: 19 October 2015 | Ikea gets real about leather, and updates its website.

When we looked at the "leather furniture" sections of Ikea's Australian websites recently, more than a few turned out to be made from distinctly non-bovine stuff like polyester and polyurethane.

The giveaway is in the fine print on the "product information" tab on the websites, with one model described as "durable coated fabric that has the same look and feel as leather". Not quite the same thing, we say, and we think most cattle would agree. That's why we're awarding Ikea's leather-that's-not-leather a genuine Shonky. What a hide!

Video: Ikea's 'leather' sofas