Interesting article below, including mentions of most of the alternatives being explore.
An eco-conscious reader wants to wear what’s right for the planet – and wonders if ‘vegan leather’ is just good marketing?
Jun 27, 2024 – 5.00am
Question – I am looking to buy a new handbag and have noticed a few brands offering “vegan leather”. The term confuses me. What, exactly, is vegan leather, and is it any better than animal leather in terms of its environmental impact? I’ve had my current (real leather) handbag for a decade. Will a vegan version fall apart? – All in a leather
Dear Leather,
Wandering the halls of the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris last year, I spied a fabulous woman wearing the most spectacular pair of what appeared to be leather sweatpants. She told me she’d bought them the previous day at Stella McCartney on the rue Saint-Honoré. That couldn’t be right, I thought, as I examined their buttery softness. Stella McCartney doesn’t use real leather; only vegan alternatives.
Models show Stella McCartney’s leather alternatives from the autumn/winter collection. Getty
Of course, she was right. I now own a pair of the same pants, and wear them frequently. They are notquiteas soft as real leather, but they come extremely close. They’ve also led me down a rabbit hole on the subject of non-animal leather.
First,vegan leathercan mean quite a few things. Fundamentally, it’s any leather-like material not made from animal skin. Mostly, it’s made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or polyurethane (PU). Both are petroleum-based plastics and therefore, as you correctly guess, come with their own environmental problems.
Some brands, however, use leather alternatives made from materials like pineapple leaves, apple peels and even cacti.
Stella McCartneyuses a material called Alter Nappa, a combination of polyester and polyurethane, and in the past has created bags with Mylo, a faux leather made withmycelium, the root-like structure of mushrooms.
Accessories company Brie Leon says its vegan leather is created from a range of natural and synthetic sources.
You’re right in wondering about the lifespan of vegan leather. Animal leather can, theoretically, last forever as it is treated with chemicals to halt the degradation process (which can be fraught with problems, too – these chemicals can be toxic and can leak into waterways).
Vegan leather, on the other hand, lasts up to five years tops. Will I be wearing my “leather” joggers toParis fashion weekin 2028? Probably not. Vegan leather has a tendency to crack, peel and fray in a way that the real thing does not, and it cannot be repaired or restored the way leather can be.
But fabric technology has greatly improved in the past few years and vegan leather is getting closer to the real thing.
Bianca Spender uses leatherette in her collections (I own one of her leatherette skirts and can confirm that it feels soft against the skin). She uses two kinds of fabric, one made in China and the other in Italy, both derived from polyurethane. While Spender would love to use mushroom, cactus or apple leather, these are not yet available at scale.
Most concerns about real leather are around animal welfare. Indeed, PETA estimates more than a billion animals are killed a year for their skins.
That’s why Edie Collective founder Ebanny Dwyer uses vegan leather. Her shoes are made with microfibre, recycled (pre- and post-consumer) plastics and PU leathers.
Planet and animal-friendly vegan leather is the go at Edie Collective.
“Not all alt-leathers are created equal,” says Dwyer. “There are low-quality products with short lifespans across both the leather and vegan leather industries.”
While vegan leather often gets a bad rap for its association with fossil fuels, she says, animal leather is not merely a cruelty issue. “Agriculture, which includes animals bred for leather, is the largest cause of deforestation, and there are also factors like water pollution from tanneries to consider.”
Brie Leon founder Janine Zafra is keen to explore new textile ideas.
Vegan leather isn’t the perfect solution, she says, but developing innovative processes to transform plastic pollution and vegetable farming waste into durable materials is a way not only to tackle waste but to reduce the breeding and slaughter of animals.
In addition to the plant leathers, “We now only source textiles that are created using plastic waste and, for the lining, recycled organic cotton,” she says. “We didn’t always do this, but over time we’ve learnt more about the harrowing impact of fashion. The curiosity of my team and our commitment to doing better means we’ve evolved with the public discourse, which we see as a bare minimum.”
Designer Rochelle Gregory, the force behind Rocky Rafaela, chooses not to use vegan alternatives for the leather jackets her brand is known for because she believes they are worse for the planet than animal products.
Rochelle Gregory doesn’t use plastics for her Rocky Rafaela leather.
“PVC and PU are the worst kinds of plastic,” she says. What you gain in minimising animal cruelty, you make up for by supporting the fossil fuel industry.
“We use sustainable leather – it’s a by-product of the cow.”
Gregory is investigating plant-based substitutes, like Piñatex (from pineapple leaves) and Mylo (from mushroom roots). She cares for her own leather jackets with little more than baby wipes, but says most leather goods will benefit from a visit to a leather specialist for reconditioning now and then.
Whichever side you land on in your handbag quest, perhaps the most important factor to consider is longevity. If you do want the real thing, look for leather tanned with vegetables (rather than chemicals, which can be toxic), and keep and use it for a long time. If you choose a leather alternative, don’t feel too virtuous – your choice has some downsides, and it doesn’t mean your purchase is disposable in any way.
