Ultrasuede is the

trade name A trade name, trading name, or business name, is a pseudonym used by companies that do not operate under their registered company name. The term for this type of alternative name is a "fictitious" business name. Registering the fictitious name w ...

for a synthetic ultra-microfiber fabric invented in 1970 by Dr. Miyoshi Okamoto, a scientist working for Toray Industries. In Japan, it is sold under the brand name Ecsaine. It is often described as an artificial substitute for

suede Suede (pronounced ) is a type of leather with a fuzzy, napped finish, commonly used for jackets, shoes, fabrics, purses, furniture, and other items. The term comes from the French , which literally means "gloves from Sweden". The term was fir ...

leather. The fabric is multifunctional: it is used in

fashion Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...

interior decorating Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. An interior designer is someone who plans, researches, coordin ...

, automobile and other vehicle

upholstery Upholstery is the work of providing furniture, especially seats, with padding, springs, webbing, and fabric or leather covers. The word also refers to the materials used to upholster something. ''Upholstery'' comes from the Middle English w ...

, and industrial applications, such as protective fabric for electronic equipment. It is also a very popular fabric in the manufacture of

footbag A footbag is a small, round bag usually filled with plastic pellets or sand, which is kicked into the air as part of a competitive game or as a display of dexterity. "Hacky Sack" is the name of a brand of footbag popular in the 1970s (currently o ...

s (also known as hacky sacks) and

juggling ball A set of juggling beanbags Juggling balls, or simply balls, are a popular prop used by jugglers, either on their own—usually in sets of three or more—or in combination with other props such as clubs or rings. A juggling ball refe ...

s. Other manufacturers such as Sensuede and Majilite also produce similar product lines of synthetic microfiber suede.

Composition

Fabric content ranges from 80%

polyester Polyester is a category of polymers that contain the ester functional group in every repeat unit of their main chain. As a specific material, it most commonly refers to a type called polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Polyesters include natural ...

non-woven (100% recycled ultra-

microfiber Microfiber (or microfibre) is synthetic fiber finer than one denier or decitex/thread, having a diameter of less than ten micrometers. A strand of silk is about one denier and about a fifth of the diameter of a human hair. The most common ty ...

) and 20% non-fibrous

polyurethane Polyurethane (; often abbreviated PUR and PU) refers to a class of polymers composed of organic chemistry, organic units joined by carbamate (urethane) links. In contrast to other common polymers such as polyethylene and polystyrene, polyurethan ...

to 65% polyester and 35% polyurethane, depending on the product line. Ultrasuede feels like natural

, but it is resistant to stains and discoloration; it can be washed in a washing machine. It has a

woven Woven fabric is any textile formed by weaving. Woven fabrics are often created on a loom, and made of many threads woven on a warp and a weft. Technically, a woven fabric is any fabric made by interlacing two or more threads at right angles to on ...

fabric surface, but resists

pilling Pilling is a village and civil parish within the Wyre borough of Lancashire, England. It is north-northeast of Poulton-le-Fylde, south-southwest of Lancaster and northwest of Preston, in a part of the Fylde known as Over Wyre. The ci ...

or fraying because it is combined with a polyurethane foam in a non-woven structure. As with its Italian sister fabric, Alcantara, automotive grade Ultrasuede meets OEM specifications and FMVSS302 flammability requirements for automotive use, as well as it being virtually identical on both sides, making it somewhat reversible.

Uses

Ultrasuede has applications in fashion, including shoes; interior furnishing; industrial uses; and (in a flame retardant version) watercraft, automobile and aircraft seating, dash trimming, headliners and other interior panels.

References

External links

* {{leather Automotive technologies Artificial leather