Treated fabric structure

In the process for making artificial leather sheet material for shoe uppers in which a continuous cellular plasticized polyvinyl chloride layer is applied to a fabric, the improvement which comprises providing a fabric having an interlaced structure of multifiber twisted yarns, teasing from yarns of said fabric a nap of fibers anchored within said twisted yarns, bonding together fibers of said nap to form an open, compressible bonded nap having a thickness of about 0.1 to 1 mm and applying a layer of a mixture of polyvinyl chloride, plasticizer therefor and blowing agent to the face of the fabric opposite to said nap, and heating said layer of mixture to form said cellular layer, the thickness of said polymer layer and said fabric being such that the total thickness of said artificial leather sheet material is at least about 1.2 mm, said bonding comprising applying to said nap a solution of an elastomeric bonding agent without substantial impregnation of the interlaced yarn structure of said fabric, and removing liquid of said solution to set said bonding agent while maintaining said nap in such open condition that the void volume of the bonded nap is at least 50%, the conditions of said impregnation and removing being such that the set bonding agent is present as webs joining individual filaments of the nap, said webs being so thin that the outlines of individual nap fibers are visible, and said webs bridge neighboring fibers, but do not form a continuous pore-free layer, there being impregnant-free spaces between fibers.