Nubuck Newbies

I'm SO in love with my new nubuck ballerinas that whenever someone tells me "I like ur shoes", without sparing a moment pat comes my reply immodestly " Me too!". And wherever the ballerinas go, they evoke a fair amount of reaction and discussion -“Is it velvet?”, ask most of the people.“No.Its Nubuck”, I reply. “Oh, its suede?”, remark others. “No. Its Nubuck”, I repeat. “But what is Nubuck?? Is it leather or fabric?” When I saw myself answering that more than twice, I realized that it deserves a post. So here it goes…

Nubuck is a type of leather with a soft, velvety surface. Both nubuck and suede have the same look and feel but there are basic underlying attributes that differentiate one from the other. Both types of leather are sanded to produce the desirable velvet like soft feel. The main difference is that nubuck is sanded or buffed on the outer surface of the leather, essentially the part that would have been the exterior skin of the animal, while suede is sanded on the inner layer of the skin. The sanding process gives a slight nap of short protein fibres, producing a velvet-like surface. The nap is finer in nubuck than in suede and is very soft to touch.

Nubuck probably gets its name from new + buck (skin) [Source:Wiki].Though nubuck is generally more expensive than suede, it is far more durable, lasts much longer and wears well with time. However, on the flip side, it is susceptible to easy staining and does show imperfections in the exterior layer of the skin much more easily Therefore , it must be treated with dyes or colors to disguise any significant flaws from the sanding & stamping process.Nubuck is used in a variety of applications – apparels, furniture, footwear and other goodies.

Ballerinas from Catwalk

Now to justify why these ballerinas are my current favorite - I find the velvety look pleasing and the bows very cute. And,ofocurse,the comfort these flats offer makes them an instant hit! Every time I wear 'em, I often find myself wondering if I should have bought two pairs instead of one to make them last as long as the nubuck does :D

So did you like them too? Lemme know...