From the pics it doesnt look like nubuck/suede - so I assumed it was durabuck, especially from the damage (i.e. it peeling off like that) . Suede/Nubuck usually isnt a thin layer or coating or bubble up/ peel off like that..Id suspect a synthetic nubuck which would follow the same properties as Durabuck (synthetic leathers and suede)
Luckily real Suede and Nubuck lasts alot longer but just like homie said above, Leathers (suede, nubuck, full grain) are living materials ans can rot/good bad. But they dont peel like film like that. And you should condition your leathers from drying out but from experience once sythentics crack there is no fix. The whole thing is bound to crack.
I have discovered a temp fix to keep then from getting worse (but its not practical and wears off too quickly- maybe one wear at best), but am working on a long term one.
Real materials are so much easier to work with, fix, and mantain but then we fall into JB plot line. They want the shoes to fall apart so we buy them again in 5/6 years while at the same token they save money from using cheaper materials. And caring for sythentics as if they are real materials still produces the same end result (just a waste of effort and time, really).
That same issue you got , I have gotten on my durabuck and "sythetic suede" shoes in the past. Suede will crack like that as well but its rare (depending on the quality of suede of course). Nubuck and grained leathers are suspectible to rot and mold. So you gotta keep them either in a dry enviroment or a properly humidity controlled environment (i.e. storage, humidifiers, etc).
Either way, Rock them as a your beaters now. What happened, is normal. Its what will happen , just a matter of time. And that time is what we are all trying to manipulated, i.e. the purpose of this entire thread. Sometimes that time can be longer or shorter depending on (how well you take carw of your shoes, your environment, and the actual shoe in question). Now that youve seen this, it is bound to get worse. Given they are from 2011, they are reaching the end of their lifespan anyhow. Id be more worried about the midsole at this stage.
If anybody is reading this and you have alot of shoes, I would be checking al your shoes every few months, pulling them out of their boxes, bags or however you storing them, inspecting them, and doing maintenance wears. Issues are easier to catch in their earlier stages and avoid as opposed to fix/repair.
