A process of making a synthetic leather includes (i) first, contacting a textile with an aqueous solution containing a cationic hydroxyethylcellulose polymer to form a modified textile component; (ii) subsequently, impregnating the modified textile component with an aqueous polyurethane dispersion externally stabilized with an anionic surfactant; and (iii) precipitating the polyurethane in the modified textile component. And a synthetic leather formed by the process.