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What is leather?
Leather is the skin of animals (cattle, sheep, goat, ....) whose fiber structure is preserved by tanning. It is one of the oldest
materials for making clothing and footwear.
Leather has unique material properties. It is breathable, water vapour permeable, it retains humidity, and it has tensile strength, elasticity and resiliency. That means, in the course of one day, it will optimally adjust to the changing form of the foot and will resume its original shape when dried in the air on properly fitting wooden shoe tree.
Leather surfaces can be designed in many different ways and will be essentially shaped by the designer’s phantasy.
Therefore, only the most important types of leathers can be listed here.
Smooth leather
Nubuck/ Suede leather
Greased leather/ Greased Nubuck
Fashion/ Synthetics
Nappa & Brush
Patent leather
The objective of any leather care is to maintain the typical characteristics of leather and its original look. Due to special material properties, leather - especially concerning shoe fashion - has special requirements to be able to maintain its functions.
Unless the tanner already provides leather with a waterproofing treatment, leather is very absorbent and must be protected against moisture. Due to environmental influences, the wax and grease concentrations in leather will be reduced. Yet, it is important for the flexibility and resilience of leather that these wax and grease concentrations are maintained.
| | | Smooth leather
Smooth leather is processed on the grainy side (the skin’s outer side). Its look is smooth, grained, structured, shiny or mat.
|  | | Nubuck and Suede
Nubuck and suede are abraded leathers or rough leather, colloquially called “wild leather“.
- Nubuck: The grainy side (outer side of the leather skin) has fine, velvety and short fibers.
- Suede: The meat side (inner side of the leather skin) clearly shows individual soft and resilient fibers.
| | | Greased leather and Greased Nubuck
Greased leather and greased nubuck are leathers dressed on the grainy side, provided with a high concentration of greases and waxes. They are subdivided into waxed / greased smooth leather and greased nubuck leather (oiled nubuck).
| | | Fashion leather
Creatively designed fashion leathers, for example with patent leather layers, plushed up fibers, foils or films, metallic pigments or material combinations.
| | | Synthetics
Synthetics is the term used for synthetically manufactured upper materials in various looks, such as smooth or reptile leather or elastic materials (stretch nappa, nappa elastic).
| | | Nappa and Brush leather
Nappa and brush leather are processed on the grainy side (outer side of the leather skin). Through a special brushing process, they obtain a high-gloss surface look. Nappa leather is a very soft and smooth leather which is extremely hygroscopic and acccordingly requires special care and conditioning products which should be used regularly.
| | | Patent leather
Patent leather is leather or synthetic material with a special varnish dressing. Such leather is smooth, embossed, “wrinkled“ or with visible metallic pigments under the varnish layer. Special conditioning additives are required to maintain its elasticity.
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