Eco-suede is a worthy alternative and the right choice.

Since childhood, we have been taught that everything natural is good. I completely agree with this statement when it comes to healthy, unprocessed fruits, vegetables, and herbs. However, when it comes to natural leather, suede or fur - as a thinking and feeling person - I am completely against it. Just a few years ago, the quality of artificial analogues left much to be desired, however, the textile industry keeps up with the times, inventing more and more interesting synthetic materials that are in no way inferior to natural ones and at the same time make it possible to save the lives of millions of innocent living beings. I made a series of articles about modern materials in the hope that people will stop being afraid of them. Today I will talk about suede.

I already wrote about eco-fur here, and about eco-leather here.

We run from the word “synthetics” like fire, but the quality of synthetics varies . There are cheap ones that take on paint, fade, don’t “breathe” and give you a headache. But there is another one - on which hundreds of scientists worked to achieve such a result that even a specialist would have difficulty distinguishing between natural material and “fake”. And it happened - Eco-suede and Eco-leather entered the market.

What is this material

It is developed using modern technologies. Its basis is synthetic or cotton fabric , impregnated with a special composition that gives it strength and wear resistance. Synthetic fibers are attached on top of the fabric, which imitate the appearance of natural suede. It is used as furniture upholstery. Or they sew clothes and shoes.

The range of faux suede shoes is wide. These are men's and women's shoes, boots, boots and ankle boots, sports sneakers, moccasins.

Before purchasing shoes made from artificial suede, you need to pay attention to its advantages and disadvantages in comparison with natural ones.

Should you buy suede boots for the winter?

Suede is a rather capricious material. constantly take care of your shoes . Suede boots are not suitable for winter games due to their good moisture absorption. Beautiful shoes are suitable for those who rarely walk on the street, whose work is concentrated on being busy in the building or traveling in a personal car.

In addition to suede boots, you will have to buy other winter shoes that will withstand constant contact with moisture. Suede is suitable for city life, not for snow games and fun.

Protecting your shoes from getting wet is a priority that needs to be addressed before the rainy season arrives. If you do not do this, your feet will constantly be wet, which will increase the likelihood of various diseases.

Advantages of artificial suede for shoes

• Durability during use . During wearing, shoes, boots, etc. are subjected to significant physical stress. Therefore, an important characteristic is their wear resistance during operation. An important role is played by the strength of the material from which the top of the product is made. Thanks to modern manufacturing technology, artificial suede is durable and invulnerable to the formation of creases and cracks. Therefore, the shoes are of high quality and durable.
• Beauty and softness . It is very important that the shoe product is not only beautiful, but also comfortable to wear. It gets these characteristics thanks to artificial suede. Along with durability, it is soft to the touch, has a noble, presentable appearance, and believably imitates its natural counterpart. It is difficult for a beginner to find the differences between them.
• Reasonable price . The production of shoes made from natural suede is much more expensive than its artificial counterpart. Therefore, the price of natural is approximately two to three times higher than non-natural. Thanks to the affordable price, eco-suede products are available to a wider range of consumers with an average income level. You can afford to buy several pairs for every taste and color.
• Resistant to sunlight . When exposed to direct sunlight, artificial suede does not fade or lose its color. This allows shoes or boots based on it to maintain a representative appearance with high-quality conscientious care.
• Variety of colors and shades . The use of modern dyes allows you to create fashionable shoes from eco-suede in the most incredible colors, shades, prints, and designs. A variety of colors will satisfy the taste of the most capricious buyer.
• Environmental friendliness . For animal advocates, this material property is of priority importance. Environmentalists can confidently say that no animals were harmed in the production of artificial suede. What cannot be said about shoes made from natural raw materials.

Does natural suede get wet?

Suede is a type of natural sheep and goat leather. Thanks to a special processing technology (tanning), it acquires a velvety and soft texture. When interacting with water, suede behaves as follows:

• does not get wet if a person steps in a puddle or gets caught in the rain for no more than 15 minutes;
• gets wet if a person is in heavy rain for more than 15 minutes.

In general, of course, it is worth noting that suede products require more careful attention and constant care. The dry period is absolutely safe for suede . However, it is very difficult to catch such a moment on city streets. After all, under the influence of chemical reagents, snow quickly turns into caustic slush.

Attention! The listed descriptions are relevant only for high-quality and natural suede.

Disadvantages of faux suede for shoes

• Requires special care . When wearing such shoes, “bald patches” form on their surface, which have an unattractive appearance. The fibers of this material tend to wear off, forming unsightly shiny islands. This disturbed pile structure gives it an untidy, worn appearance. In addition, it is sensitive to getting wet. Therefore, it is recommended to clean such a product only with soap foam and a minimum amount of water. It must be processed using special brushes, care products, and aerosol paints.
• Gets wet quickly . In rainy weather, shoes made of artificial suede quickly get wet, creating inconvenience for its owner. Therefore, it is recommended to wear it in dry weather. When drying, wipe it regularly with a soft cloth to avoid streaks and make sure not to overdry it. To make it less wet, it is treated with water-repellent agents.
• Thermal insulation properties . For winter shoes, natural suede is preferable due to its ability to retain heat well. But an unnatural top of boots or boots will not protect your feet from frost, as a natural one will do. This is a significant drawback. But for autumn-summer models, thermal insulation characteristics are not so important. For such a case, artificial suede is suitable.
• Poor air permeability . Eco-suede has no pores, like natural suede. This feature does not allow the leg to breathe, which creates difficulties when wearing. In the warm season, shoes or sneakers made of this material cause a lot of inconvenience to their owner. The leg gets tired faster, sweats and often develops an unpleasant odor.
• Does not tolerate the effects of gasoline-based products . Contact of various solvents and gasoline-based chemicals on the surface of eco-leather is undesirable. They leave difficult-to-remove stains on the surface that spoil its appearance. When wearing such shoes, it is important to be careful while wearing them. This is especially true for car drivers.

Disadvantages of the product

• Moisture _ A small amount of water can ruin the appearance of your boots. Cleaning takes time and effort. If you choose shoes for the winter, they cannot be worn during walks, snow games, etc. You can only walk on compacted snow if the owner wants to maintain the attractiveness of the pair. Suede is more suitable for people who have a personal car. To protect the product from moisture, it can be treated with a special impregnation. There are a wide variety of shoe cleaning materials available if a person is willing to maintain a pair regularly.
• Dust and dirt . Suede gets dirty quickly. If stains and stains are barely noticeable on boots made of other materials, then the appearance of suede shoes immediately deteriorates. Dust accumulates in the pile, causing the color to fade. Sometimes you have to clean your pair after every walk. There is no dust in winter, but the specificity of cities is the rapid contamination of snow. Along with moisture, dirty stains appear on boots.
• Price . Natural suede is expensive. This is due to the quality of the material and the manufacturing features. However, prices vary greatly as there is a wide range of models to choose from. The high cost pays for the good quality. For the cost of one pair of suede shoes, you can purchase several products made from cheaper material, but the performance will be worse.
• Care . This aspect is very controversial. Suede gets dirty quickly and needs to be cleaned much more often than other materials. However, for many people this is not a disadvantage, especially for women and girls who value beauty. It will take a lot of time to care, but the cleaning materials last a long time and help maintain a presentable appearance. It all depends on the person’s willingness to care for their boots.
• Fakes . When looking for budget options, there is a risk of stumbling upon fakes. They do not retain temperature well and do not have the advantages that are inherent in a natural product. Synthetic models are much cheaper, but their characteristics are underestimated. The service life is noticeably reduced.

If it's all about the sole

In search of protection from moisture, we first of all turn our attention to leather or suede care products, without skimping on impregnations and wax creams. But what if the problem is not so much in the upper part of the shoes, but in the sole? But it is precisely this material that comes into direct contact with wet asphalt or damp soil, and it is its damage or poor quality that is the cause of your wet feet.

Agree, you rarely step into such deep puddles that your shoe goes under the water up to your ankle, but if you still have such a sin, then it’s better to get a pair of rubber boots right now. The fact is that if you step into a shallow puddle, you will very quickly feel moisture on your feet, but neither leather nor good quality suede can let water through so quickly. Most often, moisture gets inside not through the main material, but through poor-quality seams, poorly glued soles, or holes and cracks at the bottom of your shoes.

• Poor-quality seams can be coated and impregnated with any water-repellent cream or spray, and folk remedies include animal fat, wax, paraffin or castor oil. True, this method will not help get rid of the problem once and for all, and you will have to periodically update the protective layer.
• Poorly glued soles are more common on cheap leatherette shoes, but regardless of the base material, there is only one solution: tear off the sole and glue it, or better yet, re-stitch it. Of course, not everyone has the skills of a shoemaker, and most likely you will have to take your shoes to the workshop, so think about whether this pair of shoes is worth the money and time spent on it.
• Cracks or holes in shoes can be sealed. Although, in order to get ahead of the problem, it is better to do this with new boots. To do this, you need to lightly sand the sole to strengthen the adhesion of the material to the surface, apply drying oil and let it dry completely. A more radical way to deal with leaking soles would be to install soles on top of the original sole.

Shoes from trusted brands are distinguished by high quality seams and soles, which means that the risk of coming home with wet socks in such shoes will be much less. In addition, well-known brands do not skimp on the initial impregnation of leather or nubuck, which is also an undeniable advantage.

Caring for shoes made from other materials

If you are dealing with wet non-leather shoes, then no store-bought care will do. The thing is that using oil or sprays on leatherette is pointless, since it does not absorb water or fat, and on fabric it is simply stupid. It turns out that nothing can protect you from getting your fabric sneakers wet, but leatherette shoes can still be saved.

We mentioned that leatherette itself does not absorb moisture, which means that the problem most likely lies in a poorly glued, poorly sewn or damaged sole, which brings us back to the very first point of discussion. You already know what you need to do: take care of the soles, and you can wear the boots for a long time without the risk of getting your feet wet.

Having these simple means and methods for caring for your boots in your arsenal, you will no longer catch a cold due to an oversight by the shoe manufacturer or bad weather.

Shoe selection

Shoes should be selected only in accordance with their purpose.

-The manufacturer guarantees that the shoes comply with the requirements of the standard, subject to the conditions of use, transportation, and storage;

-It is necessary to choose shoes according to the foot and the fullness of your leg, since otherwise, during use, deformation of the toe part of the shoe, fractures of instep supports, soles, heels and skin rupture may occur.

The best store-bought products for protecting shoes from getting wet

In any city it is easy to find several stores that sell special products that can soak shoes from getting wet. All these compositions are available in the form of a spray, impregnation or cream.

The highest quality products:

1. Salamander Universal. This spray is suitable for leather, suede and textile products. It absorbs quickly and provides reliable moisture protection all day long. In addition, it prevents the settling of dirt and dust, which improves the appearance of the boots. Among the disadvantages of the product is a sharp and not very pleasant smell.
2. Ekko. The main advantage of this spray is its economical consumption. If you lubricate your shoes with it, you don’t have to worry about getting your feet wet for 24 hours. The product is popular due to its special property, which allows you to protect boots and not interfere with air exchange.
3. Grangers. Available in the form of a cream that can be used for leather products. The product is made on the basis of natural beeswax, and therefore does not have a negative effect on humans. The cream protects well from moisture, salt and dirt.
4. Olvist. This impregnation is popular among owners of leather boots. It is relatively inexpensive, but reliably protects against water and dirt.
5. Collonil Nanopro. Universal spray suitable for almost any shoe. It is based on fluorocarbon compounds, which reliably protect against moisture and do not harm the material. This product is expensive, but is used economically. Therefore, one bottle is enough for several months of regular use.
6. Kiwi AquaStop. Suitable for nubuck, leather, textiles and suede. Its main feature is protection not only from moisture and dirt, but also from various reagents. The bottle is small in size, so it is convenient to carry in your pocket.