We live in interesting times.
Shoes are being made with a wide variety of materials available that couldn’t even be imagined earlier.
From artificially made materials that are waterproof to animal-free leather that looks and feels like real leather, the options are many! There are also shoes out there that are being made out of wool! (yes, it’s true!)
However, leather, suede, and canvas still account for a large portion of the footwear industry.
Someone starting out might wonder what makes these materials different from each other, and which one’s the better option
Between leather, suede, and canvas – leather will provide more value for money than suede or canvas. Leather is durable, versatile, offers great support and it looks refined and classic. Suede shoes are like leather but they cannot be worn for every occasion.
The canvas material is much cheaper and lighter than leather or suede, but canvas shoes are casual and not as sturdy as leather. In a direct comparison between these three materials, leather proves to be the better option
The choice you make will ultimately depend on your lifestyle and daily needs. Use this as a guide to make that decision 🙂
Suede vs Leather vs Canvas: Ranking Factors
To compare these three different shoe materials, I’ve broken down their features into a list of the seven ranking factors
- Maintenance/Care – the simpler the better
- Durability – the more the better
- Break-in Period – the shorter the better
- Experience – the less experience required, the better
- Price – the cheaper the better
- Versatility – the greater the better
- Support – the higher the better
Other than these, there are also a few subjective factors. While these are not a part of the rankings, they still play an important role in your choice
Maintenance/Care – The Simpler The Better
When it comes to general shoe care, suede shoes are much simpler to maintain than either leather or canvas shoes.
This might sound incorrect, taking care of suede has been traditionally contended to be very painful, but that is not true.
Let’s put this into perspective: If your suede shoes get dirty – you only need to brush them and use a conditioning/waterproofing spray to protect them. Yes, you should avoid wearing suede in really harsh weather, but salt and water stains formed as a result are also easy to remove from suede. Besides, a dark coloured suede shoe will hide stains better than any other shoe
It’s for these reasons that suede shoes can be worn throughout the year.
Note the easier shoe care does not mean no shoe care. Whether it is canvas, leather or suede, you would have regularly care for your shoes to keep them looking good.
With suede, it just takes lesser effort.
Canvas shoes come a close second – cleaning dirty canvas shoes requires you to really get in there with mild soap water and a brush.
There are suggestions that state it is okay to put your canvas shoes in the washing machine, but I’m not in favour of this. I think it would be better and safer to use some elbow crease and clean them by hand
Finally, leather shoes require the most care to keep them looking healthy. Conditioners, creams and polishes need to be regularly applied on leather shoes if you want to maintain them
Winner: Suede
Runner Up: Canvas
Durability – The More The Better
Between the three materials, nothing can beat the toughness of leather
Leather is an extremely good looking and hard-wearing material that only gets better with time if it’s taken care of. Fine quality leather shoes are known to last for decades, sometimes even passed down from one generation to the next.
Compare that with canvas shoes that are likely to wear out over time, and we know who the clear winner is here
Suede is close to leather in terms of durability, but it is still a little delicate. Suede handles inclement weather better than leather, though
Winner: Leather
Runner Up: Suede
Break-in Period – The Shorter The Better
The break-in period refers to the amount of time it takes for a new pair of shoes to become comfortable on your feet
It is a topic of much discussion in the shoe community, as different people have different experiences with break-in periods.
Generally, new leather shoes will be a bit stiff and fit snug on your feet. This should not be confused with a bad fit: your shoes should always be comfortable from the first day, but they will take some time for you to get used to it
As you wear them more and more, the leather will warm up and mold to the shape of your feet which will then make them very comfortable. It is this time period that is called the break-in period of a shoe
Leather boots have a longer break-in period than leather shoes due to their overall construction.
Suede will have a slight break-in period too, as it is a kind of leather only
However, canvas shoes do not require breaking-in at all. They will always fit and feel the same way they did on the day you first bought them
Winner: Canvas
Runner Up: Leather / Suede
Experience – The Lesser Required, The Better
Suede care is simple, but more nuanced than leather or canvas care
You need a separate suede brush for brushing the shoes, and also the suede sprays need to be applied evenly from a distance
I usually recommend buying shoes only after you’re familiar and good with general leather shoe care. Your experience with leather care will help you in handling suede and will also make its care easier
I’ve only just begun to buy suede shoes, and I’m into collecting shoes for over 3 years now
On the flip side, you can wear canvas shoes even if you’re a beginner. They are easy to style, and cleaning canvas shoes involves merely a brush and sometimes soapy water
Leather care and wear requires some experience too, but it’s more of a learn-as-you-go experience so it shouldn’t be a problem
Winner: Canvas
Runner Up: Leather
Price – The Cheaper The Better
In its raw form, leather is basically animal skin. To ensure that it is useful enough to make shoes, this skin needs to go through quite a lot of processing.
This increases the cost of construction of a pair of leather or suede shoes, which makes them expensive to buy
Canvas, on the other hand, is made from hemp fibres and does not require as much processing as leather would. The retail costs of canvas shoes are low for the very same reason
Between the three shoe materials, canvas shoes will always be the cheapest to buy.
Winner: Canvas
Versatility – The Greater The Better
Leather and suede shoes are easily more versatile than canvas ones
Be it to the office, or a hangout with friends – there is probably some variation or style of leather shoes that is appropriate for the occasion.
With shoes like oxfords and derbys, leather can be worn for the dressiest of events. And in styles like loafers, wingtips or monk straps, it also looks great with business casual and semi-formal dress codes
Despite the occasion, a pair of leather shoes will always look smart and refined.
Suede shoes suit a wide variety of situations as well, but they are less versatile than regular leather
Canvas shoes finish last in terms of versatility. Being casual in nature, there aren’t a lot of opportunities to dress them up thereby limiting its use
Winner: Leather
Runner up: Suede
Support – The Higher The Better
Canvas is a flexible and light material which offers little to no support to the foot.
You’ll often notice that canvas shoes don’t hold their structure i.e they can be made almost flat by pressing on the top of the shoe
On the other hand, leather and suede are sturdier and often have padding and linings that provide good support especially around the heel. Good quality leather will also conform to the shape of your foot over time, which only adds to the support
This becomes especially important if you’re prone to foot issues or pains.
Comfort in a shoe will differ from person to person. The manner in which soles and heels are designed and attached also contribute to the overall support of a shoe, but the importance of the upper material itself cannot be neglected
Winner: Leather/Suede
Suede vs Leather vs Canvas: Subjective Factors
While the above factors offer a distinct point of ranking, there are also some factors between canvas, suede, and leather that are subjective.
My preferences for these will differ from yours, so it is better to exclude them from the rankings while still understanding how they contribute to the difference between these three materials
Formality
As already introduced in the versatility section, leather shoes are more formal than suede and canvas shoes
A leather sneaker will be dressier than its suede counterpart, even if the style is exactly the same.
Suede shoes can style be worn with business casual or semi formal dress codes, but canvas shoes will casual by default 😛
For some, this might make leather more favourable depending on their day to day wear and personal style. Others would like casual pieces better which would make canvas and/or suede more attractive
I belong to the former set of people, but I also enjoy mixing it up at times 🙂
Weight
Depending on the type of construction, leather or suede shoes can sometimes be heavier than canvas shoes
For example, if the soles are made out of leather, that increases the weight. Or if good year welting is used, then that adds to the weight as well
The lightest leather shoes will have PU or EVA soles, or even rubber. There are quite a few tips that can help you decide the right sole for your shoes but in the end, canvas shoes will generally be lighter
This can be good or bad for you, based on your preference.
If you like to be quick on your feet, then full leather sole good year welted shoes are probably not the best option for you. Look for lighter options in leather, or go for canvas if a casual shoe is what you need
Weather
Canvas is the perfect material for the warmer months
It is light, breathable, and should you choose to go sockless – there is a very low chance of foot stink. With leather and suede though, it is always recommended that you wear socks to avoid bacterial growth and stench. Even for the sockless look, wearing no show or loafer socks with leather shoes is a far better idea than not wearing any at all
This does not mean that leather is not breathable – in fact, it is very much breathable – and you can still wear your leather or suede shoes in the summer. In a side by side comparison, though, canvas is the most breathable.
But when it starts to get chilly, canvas is not as useful
It should be able to withstand mild winters (like the one we get here in Mumbai) but would fail to keep you warm when it is very cold. Leather and suede will be better for those months.
In fact, if you think about it, leather wins in this category because it can be worn through any season. But then again, rankings can differ as weather is different from region to region
And The Winner Is ….
Okay, it’s really not a surprise – I revealed it at the beginning of this post 😛
Comparing all the advantages and disadvantages of these three common materials, leather comes out on top (or second) in most of the situations.
Unless you’re someone who only dresses casually and never wants to wear socks, it would be wise to have at least a couple of leather shoe pairs in your wardrobe
I have more shoes in leather than in suede or canvas, but I’d be interested in knowing what your shoe closet looks like.
What do you think? Let me know 🙂
