A method of making stretch leather composites is provided. The method includes providing a semi-finished leather. The semi-finished leather is split to obtain a final split having a thickness of from 0.10 mm to about 1.25. The final split is dried to obtain a crust. The crust is laminated with a stretch fabric impregnated with a stiffener, e.g., starch, to prepare a laminate. The starch is removed from the stretch fabric after preparing the laminate, for example, by dissolving the starch in a liquid solution naturally present in another laminate processing step liquid. Laminating the crust can include the use of an adhesive. A method of manufacturing an article of footwear can include providing a stretch leather composite, cutting the stretch leather composite to conform to a predetermined shape, and manufacturing the footwear using the stretch leather composite.