Mysterious Fading Sofa

Question

Has anyone ever had a nubuck couch that keeps fading? It is not in sunlight and not in a room that overhead lighting is used. The couch was a taupe and is now a very faint tan. The couch kept it's original color where the decorated pillows were and the throw on the arm. Once I removed the pillows that area also faded. The room is paneled and dark, except for lamp light, and is only used for holiday entertaining. Has this ever happened,,and if so did you figure out why, and is there a way to darken it. I was told that the only thing I could do is have it dyed but it would turn into a leather couch, and the nubuck look and feel would not be there. Can anyone help me?

Answer 1

As the dyes in nubuck leather are very unstable they will always fade (sometimes quite rapidly as you have found), this is a feature of the leather and there is nothing you can do to actually stop it.  You can re-dye nubuck leather (specialist nubuck dyes are available) but it is an extremely tricky process and would have to be professionally done. If done correctly none of the features (texture etc) would be lost.  It would only turn into a 'leather' if pigments were used to recolour rather than nubuck dyes.  Pigments would not be recommended as on a nubuck the adhesion would not be good and as the nubuck was dyed originally the colour should be restored with dyes.