Suede gets a bad rap. No, its peach-delicate nap won’t be winning any awards for its practicality (or lack thereof), but there’s more to this fabric than its potential for stains. Suede is versatile. Suede is luxurious. Heck, suede is pretty much a transcendent sartorial experience.

Have you ever felt suede? I mean really felt suede, as in lovingly stroked its buttery soft nap under finger until you’ve slipped into some kind of starry-eyed, saliva-sodden stupor? And don’t even get us started on its smell, that heady, leathery scent which is – bespoke fragrances be damned – pretty much the closest you’ll get to inhaling luxury.

Whether you’re looking to merely sample, or swathe yourself in, suede’s premium softness, this guide will arm you with the know-how to stay stylish and hopefully stain-free.

What Is Suede?

Before it exploded onto practically every surface in the 1960s, suede enjoyed a long and illustrious history as a signifier of luxury.

Proof of the material’s blue blood is its fancy French moniker. Originally ‘gants de Suède’ (gloves of Sweden), suede’s name arose in 19th century France through the import of soft, napped leather gloves from Sweden.

All suede starts life as leather (usually lamb’s and frequently goat’s) which has had the top grain removed. This process reveals a soft, fuzzy surface (a nap) below and can be further split or sanded to achieve the desired finish.

Thinner and more porous than leather in its original state, suede is much softer than natural leather, but it’s also an unequivocal stain magnet.

Offering a compromise between suede’s smoothness and leather’s resilience is nubuck, a top-grain cattle hide leather which has been sanded to reveal a short nap similar to that found on suede. Think of nubuck as leather in suede’s clothing.

Why Wear Suede Now?

Ever since someone discovered tearing leather in two was a great idea, suede and sophistication have gone hand in hand. Right now, though – and owing to fashion’s current obsession with 1970s style – this leather is being radically reinterpreted by designers worldwide. And the results, it’s safe to say, are resoundingly strokeable.