Winter Suede Guide
Presenting our Winter Suede Guide where we address your FAQ’s about wearing and caring for suede in the winter time. Busting myths, reinforcing truths and providing the necessary items for prolonging the life of your favorite suede footwear year round.
Being tanned from the underside of the leather hide, suede is soft and often features a luxurious soft touch and feel. When compared to a smooth side hide, some advantages of suede is being more scuff resistant and not having to worry about ruining a shine, which is especially handy when you are traveling and require a low maintenance shoe. The care and day-to-day upkeep of suede is much more simple in comparison to other leathers.
Can I wear my suede in the winter?
We answer many questions about suede on a daily basis. Most commonly we are told by many customers they are scared to get their suede shoes wet, which has some validity but is not as scary as many may think. Rain and snow can affect leather through water spots and discoloration, stretching and even dehydrating by stripping oils tanned within the hide.
Water spots
Depending on the Suede used, water spots can create an unsightly look in your light colored suede footwear. To prevent this from happening, use a high quality waterproofing spray before the rainy season, such as the Saphir Super Invulner.
Stains
Saphir's Gommadin Eraser is almost like magic for suede. Use this just like you would on a pencil eraser to rub out stains from the suede. This method is for spot treatment only and occasional care.
Not water resistant
This is false for the brands we carry. For instance, the Repello Snuff Suede we carry is tanned with a waterproofing agent, ensuring waterproof resistance for the life of the leather. For other suedes the only way to clean them properly is a shampoo wash with scrubbing. The suede hides will keep your feet much drier than mesh sneakers or other thinner suedes commonly found on lighter weight footwear.
Warmth in winter
An unlined suede will definitely be suited for warmer weather, but with a boot or paired with winter weight appropriate socks, then there should be nothing holding you back from pulling out that suede on a cold winter day.
Too delicate
Suede is more scuff resistant and comfortable on foot compared to a lot of smooth side leathers. For daily, casual wear, a luxurious suede is more than capable of handling your tasks.
We recommend treating your suede with a waterproofing spray such as Saphir Super Invulner about once per season, or when the waterproofing wears off. This is easy to tell by noticing when the water isn't repelling off the leather anymore. Simply brush and reapply the spray.
How to:
Step 1. Brush nap to remove dirt in the leather and raise nap to better allow waterproofing spray penetration.
Step 2. Spray shoes with spray. Be sure to hit the welt, spray 6-12” far from shoe. Saphir has no harsh silicones. Allow 30 mins to one hour to dry.
Step 3. Apply Sole Guard to any exposed leather sole portions.
Optional: If needed, Saphir Renovateur Suede & Nubuck Spray is our top choice to rehydrate your suede after a winter season.
What are the best outsoles to use for the winter?
Our Alden styles are designed to handle the terrain of the Pacific Northwest and beyond. We specialize in utilizing lug, treaded "commando" outsoles on a lot of our exclusive makeups. Kind of like a tire, the deeper the tread the more traction you'll have.
What outsoles should I avoid in winter?
The good news is that any outsole can easily be modified for you to gain better traction. Sleek, leather outsoles can have a thin rubber half sole applied by a trusted local cobbler and remember once indoors that leather sole is not a problem. If you do wear leather soles in the winter be sure to follow a regular leather care routine such as applying Saphir Sole Guard to re-seal and rehydrate those leather soles. For extreme cases or more peace of mind, avoid leather and crepe soles in icy or snowy conditions.
Always ask us if you have questions about shoe care, proper treatment, or anything at all. Enjoy wearing your suede year round, even in the rain.