The present invention relates to an artificial leather having
nap very little oriented on the surface and having short fibers densely, and hence having a good nubuck-like look and hand, and also relates to a production process thereof. The present invention provides an artificial leather having a
nap surface of ultra-fine fibers at least on one side, which is formed by applying an elastic
polymer to an ultra-fine
fiber-entangled substrate, characterized by being 0.3 g / cm3 or more in the
apparent density of the artificial leather, being 0.5 mm or less in the
nap length, and being 25% or less in the R value obtained from the goniometric reflectance distribution measured with the nap surface rotated from 0 degree to 180 degrees using a
goniophotometer. The present invention also provides a process for producing a nubuck-like artificial leather, in which a sheet obtained by applying an elastic
polymer to an ultra-fine
fiber-entangled substrate is raised to produce a napped sheet, comprising the steps of applying an elastic
polymer to an ultra-fine
fiber-entangled substrate, substantially solidifying the elastic polymer, immersing the polymer-deposited fiber-entangled substrate into a swelling agent of the elastic polymer, to swell the elastic polymer, compressing the sheet in the normal direction of the sheet, removing the swelling agent by an aqueous
solvent, and raising the sheet at least on one side.