Suede leather is real leather with a napped finish, made by sanding the flesh side of a hide or a split until the fibres stand up. Woodheads stocks bovine, pig and goat suede in a wide colour range for hats, shoes, bags, garments, linings and upholstery. Each type has a different weight and handle, so the right one depends less on colour than on what the piece has to do once it is made up.
SUEDE
BOVINE SUEDE IS SUITABLE HATS, SHOES AND SMALL LEATHER GOODS.
PIG SUEDE
PIG SUEDE IS THIN FOR ITS STRENGTH, HAS A UNIQUE FOLLICLE TEXTURE AND PRIMARILY USED IN LININGS FOR BAGS AND SHOES.
GOAT SUEDE
GOAT SUEDE HAS A FINE, DENSE NAP AND TAKES COLOUR WELL, SO IT IS COMMON IN GARMENTS, BAGS AND FINER ACCESSORIES.
BOVINE, PIG AND GOAT SUEDE
Bovine suede is the heaviest of the three and suits hats, shoes and small leather goods where the piece needs to hold its shape.
Pig suede is thin, light and very flexible, which makes it the usual choice for linings, garment panels and anywhere a bulky edge would show.
Goat suede sits between the two. It has a fine, dense nap and takes colour well, so it is common in garments, bags and finer accessories.
Stock colours include dark grey, black, light grey, sand and mid brown alongside the wider range on the shelf.
SUEDE AGAINST FULL GRAIN LEATHER
Suede usually costs less than full grain because it comes from the split rather than the outer surface, so each hide yields more of it. That does not make it weaker for every job. Suede is softer and drapes better, which is exactly what garments and linings need. It does mark more easily than grain leather, so it is the wrong pick for a surface that takes daily abrasion.
WORKING WITH AND CARING FOR SUEDE
Suede wants a sharp blade and a single clean cut, because a sawing motion drags the nap. Glue sparingly, since adhesive wicks through the fibres and shows as a dark patch. In wear, brush the nap back up with a suede brush, use a suede eraser on shine and marks, and treat it with a suede protector before first use rather than after the first stain.
Suede leather rewards picking the right skin at the start. A pig suede lining and a bovine suede upper are both suede and behave almost nothing alike. Woodheads keeps bovine, pig and goat suede on the floor at Cape Town and Pinetown so you can feel the weight and check the colour in daylight before buying, and skins are sold singly with no minimum order.