Leather Alternatives That Are Changing Sustainable Fashion

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.

MUSHROOM LEATHER
Mushroom Leather
MUSHROOM LEATHER
from PINTEREST
Mushroom Leather | Pinterest
STAN SMITH MYLO MADE WITH MUSHROOMS 
from ADIDAS
Stan Smith Milo Made With Mushrooms | Adidas

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!

PIÑATEX FABRIC
Piñatex Fabric
PIÑATEX VEGAN SANDALS 
from NAE VEGAN SHOES
Piñatex Vegan Sandals | NAE Vegan Shoes
PIÑATEX SNEAKERS 
from HUGO BOSS
Piñatex Sneakers | Hugo Boss

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.

APPLE LEATHER
Apple Leather
ECO-VEGAN SANDALS MADE FROM APPLE
from ZOURI SHOES
Eco-Vegan Sandals Made From Apple | Zouri Shoes
VIREVOLTE COLIBRI ROUGE MADE FROM APPLE
from MINUIT SUR TERRE
Virevolte Colibri Rouge Apple | Minuit Sur Terre

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.

TIRES AND RECYCLED TIRES LEATHER ALTERNATIVES
Tires And Recycled Tires Leather Alternatives
FLIP FLOPS WITH RECYCLED TIRE SOLES
from INDOSOLE
Flip Flops With Recycled Tire Soles | Indosole
CROSS WOMEN TEXTURE - SEA SALT / LUMUH
from INDOSOLE
Cross Sandals With Recycled Tire Soles | Indosole

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…”

BIOFRABICATED LEATHER
from ZOA
Biofabricated Leather | ZOA
BAG WITH ADJUSTABLE HANDLE - FAUX LEATHER
from AWAKE MODE
Faux Leather Bag |AWAKE MODE
FAUX LEATHER SKIRT AND SHIRT
from AWAKE MODE
Faux Leather Skirt and Shirt | AWAKE MODE

So continue reading the latest trends and important topics about sustainability at:

6 Sustainable And Ethical Shoe Brands You Have To Know

Our Top Selection Of Eco-Friendly Bags Brands

You may also enjoy

We would love to hear about your project!

Are you ready?

Are you enjoying our blog?

We can help develop your next footwear collection

Team of people working on a shoe project.

Orange Slip on

REF: 023534
COLOR: Orange
STYLE: Slip on

Sustainable pineapple sneaker

REF: 896743
COLOR: Cream
STYLE: Sneaker

upcoming masterclass

How content creators can create their own fashion collections