NUBUK VERSUS SUEDE

We’re both soft and velvety to the touch. We’re both genuine leather.
We can seem similar to sight and touch alike, but truth is there are two very different processes behind each one of us.

Let us introduce ourselves.

  Pleased to meet you. I am Nubuk  

You obtain me by using full grain leather, that is to say the outermost layer of skin that can come from an animal such as a sheep or a cow.

After the tanning process (which can be either chrome or vegetable tanning), I am finished through a brushing, sanding and smoothing process that gives me my staple velvety and silky look.

Only the best leathers are used to make me during this process. You may see some small imperfections on my surface which come from the unique characteristics of each animal’s skin.

I am delicate, and must be preserved with the utmost care. You could say I am quite valuable.

Pleased to meet you. I am Suede  

I also come from cow and sheep. I am chromium tanned, but unlike nabuk they use split leather to make me, meaning they use a less valuable underside of an animal’s hide which is separated from the top layer.

Truth is, you could use full grain leatherto make me, but the side shown would always be the one that was facing the “meat”.

I am also brushed and sanded till I get a velvety and soft look. My surface however will be regular and consistent, with no signs of imperfections or grain.

I am less resistant than nabuk.

You get to choose between us, based on your aesthetic, production process and budget.

Remember to take good care of us, to brush us and keep us clean, far from direct sunlight or high temperatures:
by doing so we’ll be friends for a very long time!

Piovese Fashion
Truth is Quality