Know your fibers

Leather, suede & shearling

Leather, suede and shearling are hides, which makes them the oldest natural materials on the site and the ones with the least in common with the rest. They are not spun or woven, they do not wash, they do not come in percentages, and a well made piece outlasts everything else in the wardrobe by a decade or two. They are also the category where the words on the label do the most work, so here is what they mean.

We count all three as natural fiber. Where a retailer lists a composition for them, it is almost always 100% of the hide, with the lining shown separately as usual.

Source: Hide, usually a byproduct
Lifespan: Decades, with care
Weakness: Water and heat

The words, in order of quality

Full grain keeps the whole top surface of the hide, scars and all. The strongest and the one that develops a patina. Rarely used in womenswear because it is stiff and heavy.
Top grain has the very top sanded off and is the standard for good garments. Supple, even, still strong.
Nappa is not a grade but a finish, a soft, fine, full or top grain leather, usually lamb or kid. The word most luxury jackets use, and usually earned.
Lambskin, kidskin, calfskin, goat name the animal. Lamb is the softest and the least hard wearing; goat and calf are tougher.
Genuine leather is a legal term, not a quality one. It is leather, and it is the layer left after the better layers were sold. Treat it as a warning.
Bonded leather is leather dust in a binder on a backing. We do not count it as leather and the fiber rule would not pass it anyway.
Vegan leather is polyurethane or PVC on a textile, sometimes with plant material mixed in. It is a plastic and we index it as one.

Suede and nubuck

Suede is the underside of a split hide, buffed to a nap. Nubuck is the top side buffed instead, so it is stronger and the nap is finer. Both are porous, both darken where your hands go, and both are ruined by rain if they have not been protected. Lamb suede is the softest and the most fragile; goat and pig suede are the sturdiest. A suede jacket at a luxury price is usually lamb; at a high street price it is usually pig, which is fine, and the label will sometimes say.

A suede jacket does not come back from a wash. Buy it to keep, treat it before its first wear, and let it darken where you live in it.

Shearling

Shearling is a sheepskin tanned with the wool still on, worn fleece in. Real shearling is one piece, hide and wool together, and it is heavy. Faux shearling is polyester pile on a polyester backing, and the two are easy to tell apart on the label and in the weight. A reversible shearling coat is the warmest natural outerwear made, and the one that most needs a wide hanger and a cool, dry cupboard.

Lining and what it tells you

A leather jacket is almost always lined, and the lining is where the fiber story most often ends. Cupro and viscose linings are common in good leather and are a fair outcome. Polyester is more common. We show the lining on every card, and the natural lining only switch in the rail applies to leather exactly as it does to wool.

Care, which decides how long it lasts

Never wash. Brush suede with a suede brush; wipe smooth leather with a barely damp cloth.
Dry a wet piece slowly, at room temperature, on a wide hanger. Heat hardens and cracks leather permanently.
Protect suede with a spray before the first wear. Condition smooth leather once a year with a cream, not an oil.
Store on a wide hanger in a breathable bag, never plastic. Leather needs air.
When it needs more than that, a leather specialist. A dry cleaner will take it, and may ruin it.