Looks and Leathers

It's the top of the shoe, the 'upper' that makes the statement so it's important that it holds on to its looks. The durability of an upper is mainly down to the material used, and the finish applied to it.

Leather is not just from cows, but from many other animals, birds and reptiles. Each leather gives a different look, feel and quality to the shoe. As well as a huge variety of leathers, there are almost as many finishes as there are shoes. Here are some of the most widely used.

Waxy - Matt finish, slightly grained leather with a waxy feel.
Tumble - The leather is tumbled for a softer finish and accentuated grain.
Suede - created by carefully controlled abrasion of the original surface, giving a velvety finish.
Crazy - similar to suede but with a finer, smoother finish, this leather is mixed with oil to give a unique feel and appearance
Burnt Suede - created by rubbing wax or dye in to the material to produce a bruising effect. This can be applied to other leathers creating a burnished look.
Antique - a darker wax coating is applied evenly to the finished shoe, then rubbed off to reveal areas of the original colour and highlight parts of the upper.
Cracked- leather is PU coated and then cracked for the finished effect. This same technique can also be applied where the end result is a scratched surface.