Suede

Suede has a softness and beauty that we all take for granted. It is the most versatile of materials to work with for shoes and boots as it moulds, stretches and dyes.

It has actually been around for thousands of years as all the animal was used up somehow in our cave dwelling days! Hide, where suede originates, was the skin of the ox or whatever the catch of the day was. It was scraped and cut and used for clothes and wrapped around feet and ankles to protect the feet.

Suede as a luxury really came into being in the 20th century. In France they imported beautiful soft suede gloves from Sweden called Gants de Suede. They were so soft and people wanted more, the beginnings of manufacturing suede for all types of luxury clothing and shoes began.

The way it is made is by dividing leather in as thin a split as possible and the underneath is where the suede is. It is made mostly from sheepskin skin now, but as life progresses we are using less animal and more faux suede. 

We use both real and microsuede for our linings but a shoe collection would not be complete without suede.

Keeping it clean is a must and there are brilliant accessories to do this in the form of suede brushes, rubber brushes and even a pumice like stone. The shoe world is awash with cleaning products but if you stay eco you can clean it with a half and half mix of vinegar and alcohol. Rub the mix all over the shoe and leave to dry then brush it with your suede brush to bring up the luxury look of your re-newed suede.

See our range of suede shoes and boots. We have a new range coming out in February - keep an eye out.