Fashion

All About the World of Suede Boots and What You Need to Know

Suede boots are a fashionable footwear that look good with a variety of different outfits.

Options are the name of the game with these shoes, featuring a number of heel and boot heights, colors, designs, and embellishments. For this reason, suede boots work as a go-to fashion statement to tie together your wardrobe, particularly as fall approaches. Even still, if you’re curious about exactly what suede is, or the pros and cons of these shoes, we’ve created a comprehensive guide for you. Read on to learn why you should incorporate this material into your shoe game.

suede boots

Credit: Public Domain Pictures


A Bit About Suede Boots

For the footwear conscious, suede boots are a must-have! They work especially well for autumn weather and exude a warmth and polish not often found in other types of shoes. Find out exactly how they are made and the pros/cons of wearing them.

suede boots

What is suede?

Suede is a type of leather having a napped finish over it. The material is used for making jackets, shoes, shirts, wallets, furniture, and many other items. Suede is a variety of leather produced from the underside of the animal skin, which is softer and more durable than the outside one. Hence, it can be assumed that suede is more of a finish given to a material to impart its soft and fibrous effect.

How are suede boots manufactured?

Conventionally, manufacturers create suede boots by turning the leather upside down in a way that the underside of the animal skin is used to create the exterior view. But this method slowly got discontinued as it made the product solid in look. It also lacked the basic soft and delicate quality of a skin-made product.

Instead of using the inner side of the leather, presently, the popular method for making suede boots involves splitting the leather and complete removal of the upper grain of the material to reveal the hidden underside of the skin. This modified process helps in exposing the much softer, long lasting and delicate layer of the leather known as the suede. Once this softer layer is exposed, it is given the shape of the boots as per the design.

The skin type used for making suede products decides the overall finish of the item. As a result, the thicker the skin is, the sturdier and more likely a chance of poor finish. Thereby, there is high risk that the basic delicate quality would get badly compromised somewhere. Therefore, in addition to shoes, this suede leather is also used for fine quality jackets, wallets, bags, and much other outerwear for the common populace.

What types of suede leather are used for boots?

suede boots

Credit: Public Domain Pictures

The following are the general types of suede used for manufacturing suede boots: -

  • Sheepskin suede - produced from the skin of lambs and sheep.  These types of skins have the properties of being lightweight and maintaining integrity in all conditions, including hot, damp and cold.
  • Pigskin suede - longer lasting compared to the other varieties and have a shorter nap.
  • Cowskin suede - known for a coarser nap and hence generally produces durable final product that lacks soft lavish texture.

What are the pros and cons of suede boots?

As with any decision in life, you must look at the pros and cons to assess what is right for you and your wardrobe. Take a look at the pros and cons of suede boots below:

PROS:

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    These boots are highly durable as they can sustain all forms of weather conditions. In fact, they even have good breathing features as it allows the passage of air and prevents the spread of unwanted foot odors.
  • plus
    Suede boots are the signature style statement of a wide number of people and are available in many sizes. Moreover, they impart the best fit to improve comfort levels of the user.
  • plus
    The manufacturing method is eco-friendly and ensures zero use of harmful chemicals. Also, these boots are easier to clean and have low demand for maintenance. Thus it is inexpensive to maintaining sheen and shine.

CONS:

  • close
    Suede is expensive and thereby, many style freaks find them unaffordable. This hinders its popularity to some extent.
  • Suede boots absorb water easily and hence get dirty and moist
  • close
    These products might earn some adverse repercussions from animal rights and environmental activists because of the use of animal skin.

Overall, suede boots can be a great look for your feet. Despite a few functionality issues with water and their animal origins, suede boots offer an alternative style for your outfits.


Do you own a pair of suede boots?

Even if you already had a pair in your closet, it’s likely that you did not know their origin or manufacturing process. As with any specialty footwear, you’ll want to take proper care of the material to maintain shape, color, and integrity of the material.

What do you think about how suede is made and its pros and cons in boots? Share your thoughts in the comments below and be sure to share this article with your fellow shoe fiends.

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