Everything You Need to Know About Plant Leathers

CONSCIOUSLIVING

Mar 28

Vegan leather has come a long way in only a short few years. A decade ago, the term used to stand for low-quality materials made from planet-harming synthetics such as PVC, which has been chosen by Greenpeace as the most environmentally damaging plastic. For those who didn't want to contribute to the leather industry – which is even more polluting and kills over one billion animals every year – times were tough. Any garment made from “pleather” used to be seen as lower-grade, and hence less desirable.

Today, “vegan leather” is a trending buzzword in fashion. The industry-wide move towards more mindful practices and processes have resulted in a wave of material innovation – we're no longer stuck choosing between harsh synthetics and the skins of dead animals. Today's plant-derived leathers are kinder to both the environment, workers, and animals. Are these materials plastic-free? Not yet. Many of them feature plastic coating, or a percentage of PU (polyurethane). But let's bust the myth that animal leather is plastic-free: very commonly, leather products are coated in plastic in order to keep them from degrading and extend their lifespan. Vegan material innovation is working towards becoming plastic-free, and the newest developments on the market are in fact just that. Here are some of the most prominent vegan leathers making their mark on fashion.

Piñatex

Material innovation company Ananas Anam and its founder Dr Camen Hijosa have led the way in vegan leather innovation, creating a material that has been used by H&M, Hugo Boss, and Chanel to name a few. Working with pineapple farmers in the Philippines, Ananas Anam craft their leather from pineapple leaves that are normally considered waste. The fibres are felted together to make a substrate layer. Not only does this make for a durable, high-quality vegan material, it also offers pineapple farmers a new stream of income.

Mushroom leather

This innovative leather is made by a range of companies, such as Bolt Threads, MycoWorks, and Mycofutures, among others. It is made from the root structure of fungi, which are grown into 3D structures to form a strong material, which needs no harsh chemicals comparable to the tanning chemicals in animal leather. Fabrics such as MycoWorks' Reishi are carbon-neutral. Bolt Threads' Mylo has been used by Stella McCartney, while iconic French leather-goods house Hermès has worked with MycoWorks' mycelium-derived material, Sylvania, to make its first mushroom-leather bag.

Cactus leather

Cactus leather was created by Mexican company Desserto, which uses the Nopal cactus – a plant growing locally in Mexico and requires hardly any water. Desserto's organic formula is spread on backing made from recycled polyester and recycled cotton to create a material that's resistant to rubbing and tearing, as well as waterproof. Beloved by vegan brands, Desserto leather has also been used by some fashion heavy-hitters such as Karl Lagerfeld, who co-created a cactus-leather bag with supermodel Amber Valletta.

Apple leather

A waste product from apple juicing, apple leather is made by suppliers such as Mabel and Frumat, who work closely with the apple industry in locations such as the north of Italy. The leftover pulp, peels, seeds, and cores are dehydrated before being coated on a canvas. Sometimes, apple leather can be composted at the end of its lifespan, and the typical material contains 50% fruit and 50% PU – a significant difference to the traditionally made 100% PU vegan leathers.

Corn leather

Corn leather can have a plant content of up to 70%, meaning it's significantly richer in natural matter than traditional faux leathers, and even some plant leather. It derives from non-edible parts of the corn plant, so no resources are diverted from the food chain. Sometimes, it can be a by-product of biofuels. This leather is made without the use of toxic solvents and can be recyclable.

Mango leather

The two young entrepreneurs behind Fruitleather Rotterdam noticed food waste at their local fruit market, and decided to offer unsold mangos another chance at life. They developed a sturdy, hard-wearing material that can be made of up to 90% fruit – and for their backing, Fruitleather currently uses organic cotton. The material is water-repellent and locally produced in Rotterdam.

Grape leather

Winner of an H&M Global Change Award, Italian company Vegea works with Italy's wine industry to reuse the waste that the trade generates – approximately 2.5 litres per every 10 litres of wine. Vegea dehydrates the grape peels, seeds, and skins, combines them with vegetable oil and water-based polyurethane, and adds an organic cotton coating to create its luxurious leather. The company works with a closed-loop process to re-use any water used in its production, and the leather contains only trace amounts of non-toxic chemical reagents. After being pioneered by Italian couture designer Tiziano Guardini, Vegea's wine leather has been used in H&M's Conscious Exclusive collection. Bentley also chose it for the interiors of their electric car.

Cork leather

While all the above are innovations, cork isn't new: it has been used for decades in countries such as Spain and Portugal, which have an abundance of cork trees. When cork is harvested, the tree isn't cut down, and the cork grows back, making it a naturally regenerative material that renews itself. What's even more amazing is that trees used for the cork industry absorb CO2 – sometimes up to five times more than trees that aren't used for the trade. Cork trees in Portugal help offset up to 10 million tonnes of carbon annually – an example of when fashion can actually be good for the planet.

Plastic-free plant leather

Thanks to Natural Welding Fiber's invention Mirum, we are moving away from the narrative that the only choice that leather-loving fashionistas face is between animal skins and plastic. Mirum, used by several leading brands, is completely free from any plastic fibres. It is made by welding together a variety of different plant waxes and oils, without the use of synthetic binders and without a polyurethane coating, which many plant-based leather still have.

Lab-grown leather

Leather grown in laboratories isn't commercially available yet – but when it enters the market, it will be a total game-changer: material innovation companies such as Modern Meadow are using bio-engineering on strains of yeast to create a leather grown in a laboratory rather than on a cow. The process will enable creators to make as much or as little leather as they need, to exact product specifications. This, of course, means that waste will be minimised, and obviously animals will not be killed. Inventions like this are proof that human creativity can overcome obstacles and create forward-thinking, planet-friendly products, which will without a doubt make animal leather obsolete.

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*Written by Sascha Camilli*

Sascha Camill is a writer, speaker and vegan fashion expert. She founded the world's first digital vegan fashion magazine *Vilda*, and is the author of *Vegan Style: Your Plant-Based Guide to Beauty, Fashion, Home & Travel*. Her podcast, *Catwalk Rebel*, is out now.

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