Suede or Leather: Why the MACAW Uses Both

Suede is leather. Both come from a hide, and the difference is the surface. Smooth leather shows the grain. Suede has a brushed nap.

We use both, and the choice follows where the shoe gets worn.

The MACAW Skate and THE MACAW LOCAL are suede. Suede is the standard upper for skate shoes because of grip tape. Grip tape is abrasive, and suede holds up to it far longer than canvas does.

The MACAW Golf is white leather. A golf shoe spends a lot of time in wet grass, and smooth leather has natural water resistance and wipes clean. I walked 157 holes over four days at Bandon Dunes in one pair, and the leather was fine.

Both materials come from the same place. The leather and the suede are natural hides tanned by Bojos, a Gold-rated tannery in Santiago, Dominican Republic, the same city where the shoes are assembled.

They are cared for differently. Leather can be wiped with a damp cloth. Suede should be cleaned dry with a suede brush.

Both have little to no break-in period, and both sit on the same midsole and insole, made from recycled performance foam.

If you are choosing between them, the suede shoes are the Skate in brown and the Local in black, and the leather shoe is the Golf in white.

Natural hides tanned by Bojos in Santiago, DR. Blumaka midsole and insole, up to 85% recycled performance foam. Designed in Costa Mesa, assembled by hand at DMG in Santiago, Dominican Republic.