There’s just something about suede. With a velveteen finish and tactile charm, this nostalgic-looking fabric has continued to earn the adoration of style savants and the designer set alike. Now coating everything from Bob Dylan-inspired suede jackets to Jane Birkin-approved bags, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a canvas that hasn’t been smeared with this supple leather veneer. However, in 2026, the most ubiquitous category remains suede trench coats.
A few seasons ago, the thought of giving a suede trench coat preferential treatment in your outerwear arsenal might’ve never crossed your mind. Or perhaps, at minimum, you’d worry that wearing one out would warrant others to think you’ve just come from a costume party with a retro dress code. But as the material has become more mainstream, so have innovative ways of incorporating it into your wardrobe. Now, there’s no stopping the reign of suede.
Who What Wear UK fashion writer, Ava Gilchrist, wears Rise & Fall's Suede Trench Coat, £450.
Speaking about the rise of the silhouette, creative director of brand and product at Rise & Fall, Natalie Hasseck, tells me that the trend has emerged from a desire for clothes with a textural edge. “There’s a desire for pieces that feel tangible again and things you can almost sense through the screen,” she tells me before adding, “suede delivers that immediately.”
“The trench silhouette is already a classic,” she notes. “When you render it in suede, it softens and becomes more dimensional and sensual”. Acknowledging that the suede trench coat feels completely antithetical to the sleek images of the quiet luxury aesthetic and nineties minimalism that have permeated the zeitgeist in recent years, Hasseck admits that suede trench coats offer a tangible reprieve.
“After years of flat finishes and ultra-clean minimalism being delivered to us via social media, there’s a real appetite for depth,” she acknowledges. “Suede feels alive; it’s structured but never stiff.”
Proving this is the endless savants who have sported the style more than Stevie Nicks did in her heyday; Gigi Hadid wearing a khaki coloured style from Elsa Hosk’s label Helsa, Kaia Gerber whilst attending Milan Fashion Week and even Daisy Edgar-Jones whilst filming Here Comes The Flood, an upcoming Netflix heist thriller co-starring Robert Pattinson.
Still, with suede being such a finicky material, it requires a certain amount of care and consideration when investing in the style. Like anything leather, upkeep and maintenance are paramount concerns, so when it comes to investing, you’ll want to do it once and do it right.
Ranked by quality, price and style, keep scrolling through for the best suede trench coats actually approved by a fashion writer. Daisy Jones, eat your heart out.
Shop the Best Suede Trench Coats:
- The Best Overall Suede Trench Coat: Rise & Fall Suede Trench Coat, £450
- The Best Designer Suede Trench Coat: The Row Serenis Coat, £6010
- The Best High-Street Suede Trench Coat: H&M Suede Car Coat, £480
- The Best Chocolate Brown Suede Trench Coat: RIXO Astraea Suede Coat, £895
- The Best Double-Breasted Suede Trench Coat: Saint Laurent Trench Coat, £6115
Style Notes: Ask any Londoner, and they'll tell you that this trench coat has swiftly become one of the most covetable pieces in the wardrobes of the city's chicest. But as Hasseck explains, the origins of the coat don't actually start with suede, but the women who wear it best.
"No one does casual luxury quite like Lauren Hutton, and one of my favourite images is of her in track pants with a classic trench layered over the top," she explains. "That tension between polish and ease—classic but comfortable—was very much the starting point."
Material/s: 100% leather
Colour/s: Chocolate brown and navy blue
Sizes: XS - XL
Style Notes: From a salon-style showroom in the heart of the Triangle d'Or, Nour Hammour crafts sumptuous designs worthy of inclusion in any Parisian's wardrobe. And with a marker that covetable, it's fitting that the brand's designs have caught the eyes of tasteful dressers the world over. This style is rendered in a classic tobacco shade and boasts a tie-up waist to bring a je ne sais quoi touch to anyone who wears it.
Material/s: 100% lambskin leather
Colour/s: Tobacco brown
Sizes: XS - XL
Style Notes: The Row is synonymous with sartorial excellence, with everything the Olsen Twins touch imbued with an innate elegance and ease. For discerning shoppers, investing in this heavyweight lambskin suede is a no-brainer.
Featuring dolman sleeves, a drop shoulder and slits at the side, this is something you'll want to throw over your pastel shirting and well-tailored trousers or carry along your lust-worthy India bag.
Material/s: 100% lambskin suede
Colour/s: Russet brown
Sizes: US 0 - US 14
Stlye Notes: Like denim, suede is quickly becoming a hard-working and incredibly universal fabric, so it's fitting that leading Los Angeles-based jeans brand, Frame, is expanding its design vocabulary to include use of the fabric.
With belted details along the hip and cuffs, two deep pockets and exaggerated lapels, this style is reminiscent of vintage shapes. Better still, the collar is able to be turned upward and transform into a chic funnel neck for that ultra-modern feel.
Material/s: 100% calf leather
Colour/s: Camel beige
Sizes: XS - L
Style Notes: Given that Yves Saint Laurent surrounded himself with impeccably chic socialites like Betty Catroux and Loulou de La Falaise, it's no surprise that his designs would be influenced by the women who made up his inner circle.
This piece, designed by current creative director Anthony Vaccarello, carries the same essence. With military precision and a sharp shape, you could easily see this fitting into the arsenals of Hailey Bieber or Zoë Kravitz.
Material/s: 100% cowhide leather
Colour/s: Walnut brown
Sizes: UK 6 - UK 10
Style Notes: London-based designers Henrietta Rix and Orlagh McCloskey always design from a place of freedom and nostalgia, making the creations they produce for their brand Rixo constantly underscored with a vintage essence and bohemian slant.
The same can be said for this suede trench coat. Referencing the wardrobes of Penny Lane and Diane von Furstenberg, this style is made from a rich chocolate suede that will only garner more character as time goes on.
Material/s: 100% suede
Colour/s: Chocolate brown
Sizes: UK 6 - UK 20
Style Notes: French women excel at making wardrobe essentials look extra chic, because who else can wear a simple, plain white t-shirt and stovepipe jeans like Jane Birkin or Charlotte Gainsbourg?
A suede trench coat is a part of this canon of stylish staples. Whether it flung over a sensual mini dress and worn with knee-high boots or is just simply the look itself, this is the kind of thing you'll see on chic dressers from Le Marais in the fourth to Saint-Germain-des-Prés in the sixth.
Material/s: 100% goat leather
Colour/s: Camel and burgundy
Sizes: UK 6 - UK 18
Style Notes: Toteme has swiftly become a modern classic. From its Stockholm atelier, the brand fuses Scandinavian simplicity with contemporary minimalism, offering designs that are effective in making you look chic, but considered in how they do so.
This style is defined by clean seams that run both horizontally and vertically through the entire coat, creating a grid-like pattern that adds an element of visual contrast to any look without having to rely on flouncy ornamentations.
Material/s: 100% lamb leather
Colour/s: Latte suede
Sizes: UK 2 - UK 16
Style Notes: Reformation is a hotbed for cool girls, with each satin skirt, lacy blouse or polished pump calling out to be included in their wardrobes. This was my immediate reaction upon seeing this suede coat.
Rendered in a polished deep merlot—any wine shades will always look extra rich, in my books—the style sits sweetly just above the knees and features a razor-sharp collar, evoking a sort of Mary Quant sensibility that proves that suede coats have been desirable for decades.
Material/s: Lamb suede sourced from a Leather Working Group Gold certified tannery.
Colour/s: Burgundy
Sizes: XXS - XL
Style Notes: Defining most Danish brands is a sense of escapism, and there is no one who does this better than Rotate. Creating pieces made for evenings on the dance floor, this suede coat provides the perfect finish touch, or more accurately, a protective element, for outfits defined by chintzy details and shorter hemlines.
Because after the party's over, you're going to need something to wrap yourself in before escaping into the night. Adding a sharp shape and a waisted silhouette, this will become a style you'll never. want to take off.
Material/s: 100% goat leather
Colour/s: Brown
Sizes: UK 4 - UK 18
Style Notes: This deep blue is simply irresistible. As someone who owns several pieces of navy suede, this style certainly piqued my interest, and after speaking to Hackett and trying it on myself, I'm completely besotted with it.
"[This colour came from a more instinctive place," she notes. "We wanted something sultry and moody, so we developed this midnight shade. Super dark, almost black, but with depth. It reads neutral, but it’s far more interesting. Completely and utterly cool."
Material/s: 100% leather
Colour/s: Chocolate brown and navy blue
Sizes: XS - XL
Style Notes: To some, suede coats evoke a sort of '90s minimalism associated with Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. To me, however, they read more '60s chic, like the off-duty wardrobe of her mother-in-law, Jackie Kennedy's sister, Lee Radziwill.
For those who are also obsessed with the wardrobe of these stylish Manhattanite socialites, this car shape will certainly appeal. Expanding through the body, this style offers quite a lot of coverage, making it essential for those who want to cocoon themselves up in their outerwear.
Material/s: 100% suede.
Colour/s: Dark brown.
Sizes: XXS - XL
Style Notes: Ask anyone who keeps up with trends, and they'll tell you that the darker the shade, the more expensive it looks. Mango turns this notion on its head. With this belted suede coat, a lighter, latte colour brings brightness and effortless poise to your wardrobe. Finished with a tie-up waist and maxi length, this is a coat that you'll come back to season after season.
Material/s: 100% goat leather
Colour/s: Sandy brown
Sizes: XS - XL
Style Notes: Balancing country elegance with city tailoring, this casually carefree style is accented with a double-breasted finish, belted tie-up and notched lapels. For those with shorter frames, note that Reiss also offers this style in petite sizes, so you don't have to factor in tailoring this longline piece to your precise proportions.
Material/s: 100% suede
Colour/s: Taupe brown
Sizes: UK 4 - UK 14
Style Notes: There’s something so ‘cool girl’ about a colourful suede trench," says Who What Wear UK assistant social media editor, Annie Wheatland-Clinch. "Shades like tomato red, purple and navy feel so ‘70s, so, when I spotted this navy one from Mint Velvet I immediately fell in love with this understated and nostalgic shade.
"I’ve been quietly replacing my black outerwear with navy styles recently, as it brings something more unexpected to a colour combo. And the slightly boxy shape to this feels very elegant. I love the idea of running errands in this with jeans and loafers, but equally I feel like this could be the perfect throw-over piece for an evening look."
Material/s: 100% pig leather
Colour/s: Brown and navy
Sizes: XS - XL
What to Look Out for When Buying a Suede Trench Coat
The chicest suede coats will be defined by two main factors: fabric and fit. Unlike other outerwear styles, these pieces can't hide behind elaborate flourishes as it's the way the swath of fabric drapes across your body that makes the style covetable. As a result, these things need to be perfect in order for you to look your best whilst wearing one.
When it comes to fabric, always look for an option that is 100% leather. Whilst the prices can vary considerably for this composition value, there are still some more affordable options that sit on the lower end of the spectrum. They may still set you back a few hundred pounds, but that's a relative price considering some luxurious styles eye-wateringly begin in the thousands.
The second is fit. As suede can be more of a stocky, albeit supple material, you'll look more structured when compared to wearing something made of wool, cotton or gabardine. As a result, you don't have a relaxed silhouette to hide behind if you don't nail the fit. I'll always recommend sizing up, so you still have that soft slouch and can layer knitwear underneath.
What Suede Trench Coats are Trending in 2026
In 2026, we're still seeing classic trench coats reign supreme. These are styles that are both boxy and refined, whilst still possessing those military-style elements that made the trench a modern staple. However, the biggest trend in the category isn't shape, but shade.
From new neutrals, including whiskered khaki, saturated browns and intense burgundys, we're seeing these decadent hues emerge as a reprieve from the timeless black and beige shades often associated with the category.
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