Calfskin, suede, nubuck or buffalo leather: a practical guide to leathers and finishes

Put two brown shoes side by side: same colour, similar price, yet one looks "alive" and you can tell it will age well, while the other already looks worn out the day you buy it. The difference is almost never the colour: it's two separate choices that add up — the leather (which animal it comes from and which layer of the hide it's cut from) and the finish (the treatment that gives it its final look). Same leather, different finishes, and you get materials that seem to have nothing in common. It's worth separating the two questions, instead of stopping at "is it real leather?".

Calfskin, kidskin or buffalo leather: what changes when you touch it?

Calfskin is the most sought-after bovine leather in footwear and leather goods: fine, even grain, soft to the touch from the very start. What makes it valuable is that it improves with wear — it softens and moulds to the foot or hand instead of cracking. It's the reference choice for an elegant shoe meant to age well.

Kidskin is thinner than calfskin, but no less resistant: it's a light, breathable and flexible leather, traditionally used for gloves precisely because it flexes without resisting. On an upper this translates into almost immediate comfort, without the "breaking in" period a thicker leather needs.

Buffalo leather goes to the opposite extreme: thickness reaching 3-3.5 mm, against the 1-1.2 mm of standard bovine leather, and a much more pronounced natural grain. It's the right leather when the priority is resisting daily wear — a work bag, an ankle boot meant to last — in exchange for a stiffer, heavier material.

Suede or nubuck: why do they look the same and behave differently?

Here confusion is the rule, not the exception: both have a napped, matte surface, and both are chosen for the same aesthetic reason. The difference is in how the hide is cut. Suede is taken from the inner side, the "split": the nap is longer and more visible, the result less refined but more affordable. Nubuck is instead taken from the outer side, the "grain" — the same layer used for smooth leather — simply sanded down: the nap is shorter, the hand softer, and the process more expensive because it starts from the noble side of the hide.

One thing worth knowing before buying: both are "rough" leathers and sensitive to water, not naturally waterproof. They darken if wet and should be treated with a protective spray before first use, not after the first downpour.

Finishes: how the same leather becomes different materials

So far we've talked about the raw material. But the same calfskin can leave the tannery as products that seem to have nothing in common, depending on the finish.

Patent leather receives a coat of lacquer that seals it: a mirror-like surface, a more formal effect, and precisely because it's sealed it resists water well — at the cost of flexibility, because the lacquer layer tends to crack at the creases if the shoe isn't the right shape for the foot.

Naplak was created to solve exactly this flaw: it's a patent variant tanned on a softer, more elastic base, which keeps the mirror-like shine but bends without cracking — that's why on many product pages you'll see it listed as "naplak patent", to signal that it belongs to the same family as classic patent leather but is designed for a shoe that flexes more while walking.

Oiled leather is the opposite: fat-liquored with oils during tanning, it stays soft and absorbs water better than regular smooth leather, but above all it develops the so-called "pull-up" effect — wherever it flexes the colour lightens, then returns to its darker shade at rest. It's the only finish where small signs of wear blend into the look instead of staying visible as a flaw: oiled leather is designed to look better after a year, not on day one.

Buffed leather is made by sanding the surface, followed by even dyeing and hand- or machine-polishing: the result is a perfectly uniform colour, free of the small natural imperfections raw leather always carries — the right choice when colour consistency matters more than the natural character of the hide.

Brushed leather takes the opposite path from suede and nubuck: a mechanical process compacts the surface and closes the pores instead of opening them, making it shinier and more resistant to dirt — wipe it with a cloth and it comes clean, while a more open-pored leather traps dust in its micro-crevices. The trade-off is that this same compacting removes softness from the hand: brushed leather feels stiffer to the touch than smooth leather left in its natural state.

Pebbled or smooth: which one hides the signs of time better?

If you walk a lot, or put a bag in and out of the car every day, this is worth checking before the colour. Pebbled leather has a small, bubbled surface, obtained by pressing the leather with heated plates: it's not a flaw, it's intentional, and it serves a practical purpose. On an irregular surface a scratch is far less noticeable than on a smooth one, because the texture itself conceals it — which is why bags and shoes designed for intense daily use often choose this finish over smooth leather, which shows every mark because it has nothing to visually interrupt it.

Frequently asked questions

Does suede get ruined by rain?

Not by clean water, if it's good quality: the real problem is puddles with salt or dirt. In heavy rain, it's best to let it dry away from direct heat sources and brush it once dry.

Which leather is easiest to maintain for everyday use?

Among the leathers and finishes covered here, buffed and brushed leather, along with pebbled leather, need the least care: the first two because the compact surface or uniform colour doesn't trap dirt or show surface scratches, the third because the texture physically hides them. Suede and nubuck are at the opposite extreme: beautiful, but needing a protective treatment before every season.

Why does an oiled leather bag look already "lived-in" straight out of the box?

It's the intended effect of oil tanning: the surface is never perfectly uniform, and the tonal variations that look like signs of wear are actually a feature of the material, not a manufacturing flaw.

Are naplak and patent leather the same thing?

They're in the same family but not identical: both give a mirror-like shine, but naplak starts from a softer, more elastic tanned base, so it bends better at the creases of a shoe without the cracking risk typical of stiffer classic patent leather.

Calfskin or buffalo leather for an item meant to last for years?

It depends on what you mean by "lasting": calfskin lasts by ageing well aesthetically, but needs more care; buffalo leather lasts by mechanically resisting daily wear, with a rougher look from day one. Buffalo leather is the better choice for intensive, no-fuss use; calfskin for those willing to take care of it in exchange for a more refined result.

Where to find these leathers

Footwear, bags and accessories in these leathers and finishes are available in our men's and women's collections. For advice on a specific leather, our staff is available in-store in Merate, via chat or by phone.