Vegan leather is a hot hit in the fashion world

Vegan leather is a new term that has evolved over time. As the name suggests, it refers to animal-friendly leather. The raw materials for these leathers are 100% animal-free. This type of leather can be called vegan leather.

Although animal leather goods have always been popular, the production of every leather item represents the death of an animal. As more people advocate for animal-friendliness, many brands are beginning to look for alternatives to leather. Besides synthetic leather (synthetic leather/imitation leather), there is now also the term vegan leather.

“Vegan leather” is not a new term; it first appeared in the late 19th century as an alternative to animal leather, which is what we now call artificial leather. In recent years, vegan leather has more often referred to leather made from plant-based materials, such as mushroom skin, pineapple skin, cactus skin, and raisin skin.

Although vegan leather uses some raw materials derived from plant fibers, its essence belongs to the category of fibers artificial leather 。 Its manufacturing process and general artificial leather Similarly, polymers are used as adhesives to achieve leather-like properties similar to genuine leather. With this in mind, some vegan leathers deliberately use environmentally friendly polymers for their adhesives to minimize chemical harm to human health and the environment.

Stella McCarteny 2022/2023 Autumn/Winter Collection bags

During the 2022/2023 Fall/Winter Paris Fashion Week, British designer brand Stella McCarteny held a grand show on the top floor of the Centre Pompidou in Paris. All bags from its Fall/Winter 2022 collection were made from grape leather, and all models appeared holding handbags made from grape peel waste, sourced from an Italian winery.

Alongside the grape handbag, another mushroom handbag appeared on the runway, made from a new material called Mylo, marking Stella McCartney’s new exploration of mushroom skin. As early as 2018, Stella upgraded the brand’s classic handbags using this material and exhibited them at a local museum in London, UK.

Guo Pei 2020 Autumn/Winter Haute Couture Collection

As a renowned Chinese haute couture designer, Guo Pei once applied pineapple peel to the autumn and winter haute couture collection of the same brand. This fabric is made by extracting plant fibers from pineapple leaves, and the patent holder is Dr. Carmen Hijosa from Spain. Most pineapple leaf fibers come from the Philippines. After washing, drying, and degumming, they become soft and elastic. After being processed locally into a fluffy material, they are shipped to Europe for further processing, ultimately becoming a substitute for natural leather.

Guo Pei 2020 Autumn/Winter Haute Couture Collection

As a renowned Chinese haute couture designer, Guo Pei once applied pineapple peel to the autumn and winter haute couture collection of the same brand. This fabric is made by extracting plant fibers from pineapple leaves, and the patent holder is Dr. Carmen Hijosa from Spain. Most pineapple leaf fibers come from the Philippines. After washing, drying, and degumming, they become soft and elastic. After being processed locally into a fluffy material, they are shipped to Europe for further processing, ultimately becoming a substitute for natural leather.

Designers and developers and suppliers of plant-based leather influence and promote each other. Manufacturers and material developers often proactively contact designers, especially well-known designers, who leverage their influence to transform new materials into fashionable finished products, thereby gaining recognition from more brands and consumers.

VERAFIED vegan leather pieces

Coming from China to New York, the brand’s founder Vera is a perfect example of connecting fashion and lifestyle across two continents. With her sexy, domineering, minimalist, and chic style, she has gained over one million followers across multiple platforms. Vera launched VERAFIED in 2017, a slow-fashion brand that embodies sustainability with New York advantages. The brand creates chic and timeless pieces that look simple yet carry a sense of value.

These trendy and eco-friendly items are highly eye-catching and beloved by fashion editors and bloggers.

Amid calls for sustainability, the rise of vegan leather has accompanied the recent popular environmental movement; compared to animal leather, vegan leather is considered a cruelty-free product. Although vegan leather still has much room for improvement and innovation, it still holds tremendous potential, especially for consumers who are conscious of vegetarianism. As more and more innovative companies choose vegan leather, it is bound that in the future there will be more vegan leather that combines animal leather performance with sustainable development concepts.