Suede care

Suede is leather with the surface buffed into a nap. The nap is what makes it look and feel the way it does, and it is also what picks up dirt and drinks water. Care comes down to protecting that nap.

The weekly minute

A soft brush, strokes in one direction, once a week or whenever the surface looks tired. That is most of suede care. A cheap suede brush works; a clean toothbrush works on small marks.

Water

Rain spots suede. If a pair gets wet, stuff it loosely with paper, let it dry at room temperature away from radiators, then brush the nap back up. Never dry suede on a heater; it goes stiff and stays stiff.

Salt and winter

Winter pavement salt leaves white tide marks. Wipe them soon with a cloth barely dampened in a half-and-half mix of white vinegar and water, then dry and brush. Our fur lined pairs and the mini boot live in exactly this weather, so this is the paragraph to remember.

What never to do

• No washing machines, for any suede pair, ever.
• No shoe polish; polish is for smooth leather and glues the nap flat.
• No soaking a stain; work it dry with a brush or a suede eraser first.

If a pair is past saving with a brush, our vegan and EVA lines exist for a reason. Some lives are too wet for suede.