Suede vs. Leather

The best thing about leather and suede is that they never seem to go out of style. The materials each have die-hard fans, but leather and suede are closely related--they both come from animal skin and are simply prepared differently.

Leather

Leather is cured by the tanning process, which transforms the decomposable skin into a non-decaying material, providing it with flexibility and toughness. It has a hard, glossy finish that can be rubbed to bring out the grain of the animal skin, such as cowhide or morocco (goatskin). Embossing can also stamp a pattern into leather. Leather can be finished in many ways: dyeing; glazing (creating a high sheen by rolling glass over the skin); lacquering (for patent leather); and sueding.

Suede

Suede is made from animal skin by buffing its inner surface with emery (a mix of grainy minerals) to turn out a soft, napped finish that can also be dyed. Suede is a thinner and more flexible material than leather and cannot withstand precipitation and typical leather cleaning. A few drops of water can change suede's softness into an uneven, discolored, stiff and stained fabric, so it requires a different type of cleaning.

Cleaning

Although leather can be cleaned with a vinegar-water solution or polished with standard shoe shining liquids (or even be spit shined), suede requires special solvents, and even these should be used judiciously since too much can remove dye or push down its nap. Before wearing suede, spray on a light application of silicon if it has not been previously treated. This will help to repel water. When dry, restore suede's nap by very gently rubbing with fine sandpaper. Do not rub too hard or too much, or you will remove the nap completely.

Care

After every wearing, both leather and suede shoes should be aired out and occasionally sprayed with clothing-friendly deodorizer or disinfectant. Allow footwear to air dry after becoming wet, but do not place close to heaters where they could dry out. Store in boxes, tissue paper or fabric shoe bags, but never in plastic bags.

Synthetic

Leather and suede are both available in synthetic forms, which makes them much more affordable. Faux plastic leather, known as "pleather," is widely available in all the ways real leather is, such as footwear, clothing and furniture. No need to sacrifice your fashion sense if you're a vegan, because pleather is manufactured without harming animals. Sueding also refers to napped material other than animal leather, such as polyester or cotton.

References

• Encyclopaedia Britannica, Suede
• Thrifty Fun, Caring for Suede and Leather Footwear
• Fabrics.net; Whether to Pleather: One Fashion Fabric Leads a Trend Revolution; Tracey Owens, Textile Fabric Consultants, Inc.