There are plenty of amazing and natural leather alternatives out there, if buying leather just doesn’t seems right for you. These alternatives prove you don’t need real leather to be stylish and trendy!
From factory farming, health issues that affect workers, to the leather industry’s high carbon footprint, all of these factores really brings one question. Although we can like real leather, is all of this worth a pair of leather shoes or a bag?
There’s no denying that leather is a durable and classic material. For a long time, humans have taken advantages from animal hide as a by-product of hunting. Although, for those consumers who are concerned about the impact of their fashion choices on the environment, animals, and workers: leather is, more and more, a questionable investment.
Thus, this subject has, recently, became a debate on the fashion world. People are giving their opinions about the use of animal leather or, instead, its alternative of synthetic vegan materials.
This debate brings up some complex issues and different points of views that aren’t easy to solve. However, the rise of vegetable leathers is making the argument obsolete and weaker! The good new is: Innovators all over the world are producing good-looking vegan leather alternatives, that are just as hardy as leather, and don’t cause any damage to the world.
In order to produce a more sustainable future for fashion all the follow materials are being used. In addition they are creating luxurious and stylish pieces!
So, scroll down and get to know more about these exciting new fabrics. They are definitely changing the leather industry!
Mushroom Leather
Mushroom Leather isn’t produced from a species that we can eat. Muskin is a leather-like material made from the caps of a mushroom type called Phellinus ellipsoideus. The fungus, once extracted, can be treated just like animal leather. This process includes using an ‘eco-wax’ and other eco-friendly products to create particular attributes to the leather. This all ends in a product which has an incredible suede-like touch! In addition to being very sustainable, mushroom leather is also water-repellent and nontoxic. This material is durable enough to create fashion items that once would be made out of leather. Adidas has recently launched and recreated the Stan Smith Mylo model made with underground roots of mushrooms.
Pineapple Leather
Pineapple leather or Piñatex is a leather alternative made from pineapple leaf fibres. Ananas Anam manufactured this innovative material. Piñatex, is not only a natural and sustainable material, but it also supports local farming communities. It provides extra income from something that was previously being discarded as waste! Some sustainable and ethical brands that already use this option on their products are: Nae Vegan Shoes, Hugo Boss, Sezane, H&M, Mashu, and many others. We think that this material are going to bring a huge contribute for a more ethical choices when it comes to fashion. And, guess what? Pineapple isn’t the only food you can wear!
Apple Peel
Apple leather looks similar in appearance to the real leather but has a more paper-like feel. This is another by-product leather that comes from apple harvesting. The discarded skin and cores of the apples can make this incredible material. Apple leather is actually a bonus, once its texture lends to add different effects depending on what aesthetics consumers want! Some sustainable and ethical brands that are already using this option on their items are: Minuit Sur Terre, Veraah, Immaculate Vegan, Zouri and many others.
Recycled Rubber
Recycled rubber can be the right choice for you, if you’re looking for leather accessories, without the animal cruelty. In addition, this material is easy to care for, and very durable, which means you’ll be using it forever! We recommend you recycled rubber products because you’ll give a new life to objects like tyres and even fire hoses. Stamping and cutting are some of the techniques that turns the rubber into shoes and many other amazing products.
Biofabricated Leather
Biofabricated leather is the the most intriguing material of this selection. Modern Meadow is the company that are behind this new material. In addition, their lab-grown leather is made without any animal products or toxic chemicals. Therefore, the company calls ‘nature’s essential protein,’ (collagen) to its leather imitation. The company’s first brand of biofabricated materials it’s called Zoa and is definitively changing the way we think about fashion. Furthermore, the brand has shown that this material is: “Able to be any density. Hold to any mold. Create any shape. Take on any texture. Combine with any other material…”
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