Suede jacket

What suede actually is

Suede is not a grade of leather and it is not a lesser one. It is the flesh side of a hide, buffed until the fibres lift into a nap. Smooth leather is the grain side of the same hide, finished on the outside. One material, two faces, and they behave nothing alike once they are a jacket.

That raised nap is the whole point. It catches light differently from every angle, which is why a suede jacket reads as having depth where a polished finish looks flat. It is also why suede marks: the nap holds whatever touches it, including water.

Suede or smooth leather

Buy smooth leather if this is your only jacket and it has to handle weather. Buy suede when you already own one and want something softer for dry days. Suede is the more comfortable jacket and the less practical one, and both of those are true at once.

The suede shapes

Suede trucker jacket

Cut on the denim trucker pattern — button placket, shirt collar, twin chest pockets with flaps, cropped at the hip, tab adjusters at the waist. Buttoned it is a jacket; open over a t-shirt it reads as an overshirt. The most-worn shape in most wardrobes because it covers both. In olive, brown, red and blue.

Suede fringe jacket

Fringing along the full length of both sleeves rather than a panel across the yoke, so it moves when you do. Cropped at the waist, band collar, zip front, in Hot Pink and Rich Burgundy. Fringe only works if the material is soft enough to let the strands separate — in stiff hide it hangs like a fence, which is why it is cut in suede.

Suede bomber and harrington

Ribbed knit at the cuffs and hem, a centre zip, slash pockets, cropped to the waist. The shortest suede shape, and the easiest to wear over a dress without cutting the line. Cordwain's is a burnt orange.

Suede field jacket

Four bellows pockets with button flaps, a removable self belt, a stand collar that turns up, and a body cut long enough to cover the seat. Military tailoring, where every feature was put there to do something.

Styles people search for in suede that Cordwain does not cut

Worth being straight about, because these come up constantly and none of them are in the range.

• Suede coatigan — a coat-and-cardigan hybrid: unstructured, usually collarless and unfastened, worn open and long like a heavy cardigan cut in suede or a suede-look fabric. It sits between a jacket and a knit, which is the appeal. Cordwain does not make one. The closest thing here for softness is the fringe jacket, though it is cropped rather than long.
• Women's suede shirt jacket — a suede overshirt or shacket on the trucker pattern, button front with a shirt collar, worn as a heavy shirt. Cordwain cuts exactly this shape in suede, but currently only in men's sizing. Several customers size down into it successfully; email before ordering and we will go through the measurements with you.
• Brown suede blazer — a tailored single-breasted blazer in suede, notched lapels, buttoned front, often worn in place of a jacket for work. Not in the range. Nothing here substitutes properly, because a zip front and a tailored lapel are different garments.

Suede by hide

The words get used loosely, and they describe real differences in how a jacket feels.

• Goatskin suede — a short, dense nap over a faintly pebbled surface. Holds its shape and resists scuffing better than most.
• Sheepskin suede — the softest and lightest, with a longer nap that moves. Drapes well, marks most easily.
• Cowhide suede — the heaviest and most hard-wearing, with a deeper nap. Structured rather than soft.
• Nubuck — not suede. It is the outer grain sanded down, which leaves a shorter, finer nap on a tougher surface.

Colors in suede

Suede takes dye differently from smooth leather. The nap absorbs light rather than reflecting it, so every color reads a shade deeper and softer than the same dye on a grain finish.

Brown is the first suede jacket to own: it goes with denim, gray and black, and it hides marks better than anything lighter. Olive is the traditional field-jacket color and almost as versatile. Black suede is quieter than black leather and reads less severe. Red and burgundy go almost oxblood in daylight. Blue and green suede look more expensive than they are, simply because nobody expects a jacket in them. Pink and burnt orange are statement colors — buy them second.

Which suede jacket to buy

Sizing

Suede styles run XS to 3XL, with chest and length given in inches on every product page. Truckers, bombers and the fringe jacket are cut close — if you are between sizes and plan to wear a sweater underneath, size up. Field jackets already have room for a layer. Email info@cordwainleather.com with your usual size in a brand you already own, or your chest measurement, and we will tell you which to order before you buy.

Looking after suede

Brush the nap in one direction with a suede brush every few wears — that alone keeps a jacket looking new longer than anything else. Lift dry marks with a suede eraser block before trying anything damp. Treat a new jacket with a protector spray before its first outing and again each season. Never put water on suede and never dry it near a radiator. If it gets caught in rain, hang it somewhere cool, let it dry fully, then brush the nap back up.

Shipping to the US, duties and returns

Free shipping on every order. Orders to the United States arrive in 4 to 9 business days. Import duties are settled before dispatch wherever the carrier supports Delivered Duty Paid to the destination, so on US deliveries there is nothing to hand the courier at the door. Returns stay open for 30 days. All prices are in US dollars.

Questions people ask

What is the point of a suede jacket?

Softness and texture. Suede needs no breaking in, reads far less severe than smooth leather, and the matte nap gives depth that a polished finish flattens out. The trade is weather: suede is a dry-day jacket.

Is a suede leather jacket worth it?

As a second jacket, yes. As your only one, smooth leather is the better buy — suede marks in rain and you will end up leaving it at home on the days you most need a jacket.

Do people still wear suede jackets?

Yes, and more than a few years ago. Suede has come back through the bomber and trucker shapes in particular, where the matte nap softens what would otherwise be a hard silhouette.

Is a suede jacket too hot for summer?

On a cool summer evening it is fine — suede breathes better than smooth leather because the nap is not sealed under a finish. It is not a jacket for a hot afternoon.

Is suede warm enough for winter?

Cropped suede styles are fall and spring jackets. For real winter you want length, and smooth leather blocks wind better than suede does.

Can you wear suede in the rain?

Light drizzle, yes, if it has been treated with a protector spray — brush the nap once dry. Steady rain, no. Water darkens untreated suede and leaves tide marks along the hem and shoulders where it pools.

What is the difference between suede and nubuck?

Suede is the inner split of the hide, so the nap is longer and softer. Nubuck is the outer grain sanded down, leaving a shorter, finer nap on a tougher surface.

How do you clean a suede jacket?

Dry methods first, always. Brush the nap, then an eraser block on marks. Water is the last resort, not the first, and a soaked patch dries a different shade from the rest.

How long does delivery take to the United States?

4 to 9 business days, free, with duties settled before dispatch where the carrier supports Delivered Duty Paid to the US.