It is no coincidence that nubuck is called “leather velvet”: its surface is rough, but pleasant to the touch, and it looks luxurious. This material is used for furniture upholstery and shoemaking; outerwear made from it is also quite popular.
Nubuck - flocked, that is, chemically treated fabric. It appeared in the 20s of the twentieth century, when the industrial production of artificial materials was actively developing.
At first, genuine leather was used for production, and therefore the finished fabric was quite expensive. But technological processes do not stand still - today it is very common man-made nubuck, which is no worse in terms of its quality characteristics.
So, nubuck can be natural or artificial. Both options are popular, each of them is good in its own way. For example, natural is softer to the touch and has a pleasant, subtle aroma of real leather. Artificial ones also look great, but can cause allergic reactions in people prone to them (although this happens extremely rarely).
Another option - nubuck-oil. This is a natural fabric, the surface of which is treated with special oily substances during the production process. Thanks to this, the canvas turns out even more delicate and velvety.
Natural nubuck - This is leather that has gone through a chrome tanning procedure and subsequent polishing. Thanks to these processes, the material becomes fine-haired, soft on the front side and smooth on the back.
Artificial nubuck is produced differently. The basis is a fabric sheet, onto which short fibers are applied by polymerization. Externally, the result of such work almost completely coincides with that discussed above: artificial nubuck is also rough on one side, and perfectly smooth on the other.
Today in stores you can find nubuck with a Teflon coating at the base. Its surface is smoother, but the quality is also excellent.
Despite its beautiful appearance, nubuck requires special care (especially natural). For example, cleaning products made from it is possible only with the help of special products, and not the usual washing powder. In addition, a fluffy, porous surface is difficult to clean from dirt, and sometimes only professional dry cleaners can remove grease stains from a product.
However, nubuck has a number of advantages that set it apart from its analogues (for example, velor and suede):
The main use of this fleecy fabric is making shoes.It is not recommended as a material for winter and demi-season boots, but is ideal for making sandals, summer shoes, and light sports sneakers.
In addition, nubuck is used for sewing bags. It is not as expensive as natural suede, but a product made from it can last a long time.
Furniture upholstery is another area of application for nubuck. For this purpose, artificial material is usually used. It is not as easily soiled as natural one, and its cost is lower.
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