Product detail

Upper Material

What is the shoe made of, and how will it wear?

Compared

The upper material options

01
Leather
Breathes, molds to your foot over weeks, and takes repair after repair for years.
02
Patent Leather
Seals leather under a mirror-gloss lacquer that sheds rain and never needs polish.
03
Suede
Naps the soft inner side of a hide into a matte surface that needs no breaking in.
04
Nubuck
Sands the strong outer face of a hide into velvet, giving suede's look with boot-grade toughness.
05
Faux Leather
Coats a fabric backing with grained plastic to copy leather's look at a fraction of the cost.
06
Canvas
Weaves cotton into a light, breathable upper you can actually wash.
07
Satin
Floats threads across the surface of a weave to create the shine evening shoes are known for.
08
Nylon
Outlasts rubbing and rain at almost no weight, which is why travel and athletic shoes rely on it.
09
Straw
Braids dried plant fiber into the lightest, airiest upper made, strictly for dry weather.
10
Knit
Knits the upper in one stretchy piece that fits around bunions and wide spots instead of fighting them.

Measured: Finishes name the surface and materials name the base, so the material line of a listing, not its adjectives, identifies what an upper is made of.

The basics

What to know about upper material

Everything above the sole is the upper, and its material sets the terms of ownership. It decides whether the shoe breathes, and whether it stretches to your foot or holds its shape against it. The material also decides what rain does to it, and whether year five is realistic or fantasy. Price differences between otherwise identical shoes usually live here.

Three families cover nearly everything. Hides mean leather and its finishes such as suede, nubuck and patent. They breathe and are shaped over the last, the foot-shaped form a shoe is built on. Then they keep molding to your own foot in wear. Textiles, from canvas and nylon to satin, straw and knit, run lighter and often washable, but they rarely take repair. Synthetic leathers copy the surface of hide in plastic: consistent, wipeable, and fixed in shape from the first day to the final one.

Watch the difference between a material and a finish. Patent, nubuck and pebbled name surface treatments that can sit on real hide or on plastic. That means a description can be technically true and still misleading. The material line, not the adjective, tells you which family you are buying.

Used with

Products that use this detail

Product types using upper material
Boots	Leather, Suede, Nubuck, Faux Leather, Patent Leather, Knit
Women's Ankle Boots	Leather, Suede, Faux Leather, Patent Leather, Nubuck, Knit
Women's Pumps	Leather, Patent Leather, Suede, Satin, Faux Leather, Knit
Women's Flats	Leather, Suede, Faux Leather, Patent Leather, Canvas, Knit, Straw
Sandals	Leather, Suede, Faux Leather, Satin, Straw, Canvas
Sneakers	Knit, Canvas, Leather, Suede, Faux Leather, Nylon
Women's Mules	Leather, Suede, Faux Leather, Patent Leather, Satin, Knit
Clogs	Leather, Suede, Faux Leather, Nubuck
Slippers	Suede, Leather, Knit, Faux Leather, Canvas
Men's Dress Shoes	Leather, Patent Leather, Suede, Nubuck
Water Shoes	Knit, Nylon
Cleats	Leather, Faux Leather, Knit
Kid's Baby & Toddler Shoes	Leather, Canvas, Knit
Kid's Shoes	Leather, Canvas, Faux Leather, Knit
Totes	Leather, Canvas, Faux Leather, Nylon, Straw, Suede
Satchels	Leather, Faux Leather, Suede, Patent Leather, Canvas
Crossbody Bags	Leather, Faux Leather, Nylon, Canvas, Suede, Straw
Shoulder Bags	Leather, Suede, Faux Leather, Canvas, Nylon, Satin
Hobo Bags	Leather, Suede, Faux Leather, Canvas, Knit
Clutches	Satin, Leather, Patent Leather, Faux Leather, Suede, Straw
Bucket Bags	Leather, Suede, Faux Leather, Canvas, Straw, Nylon
Backpacks	Nylon, Leather, Canvas, Faux Leather, Suede
Luggage & Travel Bags	Nylon, Faux Leather, Canvas, Leather
Wallets & Card Cases	Leather, Faux Leather, Canvas, Nylon
Belts	Leather, Faux Leather, Suede, Canvas, Patent Leather
Hats	Straw, Knit, Canvas, Suede, Leather
Scarves & Wraps	Knit, Satin, Canvas
Gloves	Leather, Suede, Knit, Faux Leather, Nubuck

Categories: Shoes, Handbags & Wallets, Clothing Accessories

Comparison table

Which products use each option

Upper Material	Boots	Women's Ankle Boots	Women's Pumps	Women's Flats	Sandals	Sneakers	Women's Mules	Clogs	Slippers	Men's Dress Shoes	Water Shoes	Cleats	Kid's Baby & Toddler Shoes	Kid's Shoes	Totes	Satchels	Crossbody Bags	Shoulder Bags	Hobo Bags	Clutches	Bucket Bags	Backpacks	Luggage & Travel Bags	Wallets & Card Cases	Belts	Hats	Scarves & Wraps	Gloves
Leather	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes
Patent Leather	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	no	yes	no	no	yes	no	no	no	no	no	yes	no	no	no	yes	no	no	no	no	yes	no	no	no
Suede	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	no	no	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	no	yes	yes	no	yes
Nubuck	yes	yes	no	no	no	no	no	yes	no	yes	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	yes
Faux Leather	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	no	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	no	yes
Canvas	no	no	no	yes	yes	yes	no	no	yes	no	no	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no
Satin	no	no	yes	no	yes	no	yes	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	yes	no	yes	no	no	no	no	no	no	yes	no
Nylon	no	no	no	no	no	yes	no	no	no	no	yes	no	no	no	yes	no	yes	yes	no	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	no	no	no
Straw	no	no	no	yes	yes	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	yes	no	yes	no	no	yes	yes	no	no	no	no	yes	no	no
Knit	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	no	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	no	no	no	yes	no	no	no	no	no	no	yes	yes	yes