Ten Stylish Alternatives to Animal Leather
From mushroom caps to tree bark, brands and designers are embracing new, innovative alternatives to animal skins.
Ethical shopping is on the rise, with consumers taking a more conscious approach when it comes to making lifestyle choices. This focus has led to an increase in demand for vegan fashion options, with brands and designers embracing new, innovative alternatives to animal products.
One of the major trends emerging in the fashion industry is faux leather, and designers are pulling out all the stops to provide conscious shoppers with alternatives to animal skins.
Contrary to popular belief, leather is not simply a ‘by-product’ of the meat industry. When it comes to animals such as cows and sheep, their skin accounts for a significant portion of the profit made from selling their body parts, making it a co-product of the industry.
More than a billion cows, pigs, goats, sheep, alligators, ostriches, kangaroos, and even dogs and cats are cruelly slaughtered for their skins every year. But thankfully, more and more cutting-edge and cruelty-free alternatives are becoming available.
Cork
Cork leather is an eco-friendly material made from the bark of the cork oak tree. It’s completely natural, easily recycled, and water-resistant, making it a popular alternative to animal-leather. The process of extracting cork does not harm or damage the tree, and choosing to purchase cork leather actually helps to prevent deforestation.
Mushrooms
MuSkin is made from the peel of a giant inedible mushroom found in subtropical forests. The tanning process is completely natural, as the material is treated without using toxic chemicals, and with its soft feel and suede “look”, it’s a great option for bags, shoes, and even furniture.
Coconut
Created by the start-up, Made in Malai, coconut leather is a compostable eco-fabric grown using agricultural waste sourced from the coconut industry. The material is flexible, water-resistant and has a visual likeness to leather.
Wine
Wine - or grape - leather is produced by winemaking by-products like grape peels and seed fibers. It has a soft, smooth texture and can even be printed to look like different kinds of animal skins, from ostrich to crocodile. It looks set to be popular with mainstream designers, with H&M including the material in their 2020 Conscious Collection.
Pineapple
Pinatex is a watertight, hardwearing alternative to animal-derived leather. It is 100% eco-friendly and sourced from the wasted leaves of the pineapple bush. With brands such as H&M and Huge Boss including pineapple leather in their collections, the material is another plant-based leather being widely embraced by designers.
Cactus
Created by two entrepreneurs and debuted under the name “Desserto”, cactus leather is an organic, animal-friendly material created entirely from nopal or prickly-pear cactus. Due to its strength and durability, it can be used to make furniture and car interiors, as well as fashion items.
Apple
This versatile plant-alternative is being used by industry-leading brands like ROMBAUT to produce fashion-forward products at no cost to animals.
Coffee
Coffee leather is a biodegradable material made from waste coffee grounds. High-end German sneaker brand nat-2 is already using this material to create unisex trainers.
Mango
Mango leather is created from leftover mangoes sourced from fruit markets that would otherwise be thrown away. The mangos are mashed and boiled before being spread out in sheets to dry.
“Pleather” - synthetic
As well as natural materials, animal-friendly leather can be created using synthetic materials. Although not as environmentally-friendly as it’s natural counterparts, synthetic leather still ranks well below animal-leather in terms of its impact on the planet. It is used to make clothing, shoes, accessories, upholstery and more, and is often indistinguishable from the “real” thing.
Species Unite
A collection of stories of those who fight the good fight on behalf of animals.