Oxidation fading: causes and cures
One of the more common conditions of use on suede and leather is oxidation
fading.
Oxidation fading occurs on suede and leather in normal wear and even in storage
because the dyes used to vat dye the skins in the tanning process are faded by
exposure to both natural and artificial light.
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These areas will generally be the collar, the shoulders, yoke and outside of the
sleeves. The more they are exposed to direct light the more marked will be the
development of the yellowish taupe oxidation.
On suede, the oxidation will occur on the surface of the suede nap and will work
its way down into the nap as the garment is exposed to light over a period of
time.
In many instances the nap can be parted and the original color seen down toward
the base of the nap. It is similar to when women frost the tips of their hair.
On a leather garment, if it is a dyed leather, there is no nap and the oxidation
is then on the surface of the skin.
White fades, too
The problem of oxidation fading occurs on all colors, including white. Most
colors can be restored satisfactorily when slightly faded.
However, some colors prove to be more difficult to restore. Pastel colors, lime,
powder blue, light pink, pale turquoise or pearl grey are almost impossible to
restore to their original color by normal redyeing techniques.
Color issues in dyeing
In some instances, a measure of success in the restoration of an oxidized
garment may be accomplished by dyeing the garment a darker shade, a technique
intended to even the color.
However, you need to know two very important characteristics of dyes.
First, all dyes are transparent and therefore can never cover anything. That
includes oxidation fading!
Second, dyes will mix with the color in the skin. Therefore, whatever color dye
is being applied to the yellow taupe color, it will mix and form a color that
is a blend of the two.
As an example, suppose an oxidized garment was originally blue but after normal
wear and exposure to light it has extensive areas of yellowish taupe oxidation.
Now we attempt to restore the blue color by applying a blue dye. You would
expect to end up with a blue garment.
Right? Wrong!
Anybody who knows anything about colors will immediately realize that when you
apply blue dye to the yellowish oxidation the two are going to mix on the
surface of the skin and and you are going to end up with a garment with various
shades of green — and an irate, crimson faced customer!
Symptoms and remedies
The customer who brings in a garment that has developed oxidation fading might
assume that the yellowish taupe color on the garment is some form of soil that
you will remove in the cleaning.
This impression, of course, must be immediately corrected at the counter before
the customer leaves the premises.
Oxidation fading, with all its ramifications, must be explained to the customer
and the garment accepted only at customer risk, with the understanding that you
will do your best to restore the garment which includes possibly dyeing it a
shade darker to try to correct the customer’s problem.
Oxidation fading can be readily detected when the garment is accepted by
examining areas that have not been exposed to light in contrast to those that
have.
For instance, if you raise the collar on most jackets, you will see the original
color of that garment and can readily show the customer the difference between
that area and the areas immediately adjacent that have been exposed to light
and have oxidized.
Other areas that are not normally found to be oxidized are inside the pockets,
under the arms and inside seams.
Making leather white
White suede or naked leather has traditionally been made white by bleaching in
the tannery.
The reason for bleaching is that there is no such thing as a white dye in the
world of science. So to achieve a white suede or naked leather, bleaching has
been traditionally used.
These skins are also susceptible to oxidation fading due to exposure to light.
In this case, dyeing is not even a possibility for correcting the oxidation
problem.
One technique that has been developed in recent times has been the use of white
powder on the surface of the suede. This technique has been used in lieu of
bleaching on new skins.
It can also be used as a technique to whiten bleached white suedes that have
been oxidized.
In both instances, the white powder tends to rub off of the garment and this
cannot be considered a desirable technique of coloring white suede.
Surface spotting and abrasion
Another method of coping with oxidation fading is to use the technique of
surface spotting or the use of abrasion.
This involves removing the portion of the nap that is oxidized by scraping it
off with emery cloth or lava rock by hand or by using sand blasters and sanding
wheels.
The first technique is highly labor intensive and may cost more than the
customer is willing to pay. And it may not be entirely successful if the
oxidation extends to the base of the nap.
The second technique requires investment in equipment and a skilled operator or
the garment may be worn out and damaged in the process.
Finally, on naked leathers, the oxidation may be covered by recoloring with a
pigmented leather finish or paint.
This technique can be successful in covering the oxidation, but the downside is
it will change the look and feel of the naked leather so that it may become
more like a painted leather.
That decision would have to be made by the owner of the garment before it is
painted and after the owner has had the opportunity to see and feel what such a
leather is like.
