Vegan "leather" has hit the mainstream
Anyone who has stopped eating meat because they question the future of our planet has most probably been aware of it for a long time: Eating a purely plant-based diet and wearing shoes, bags and jackets made of leather is a contradiction. So, it's great that there are more and more alternatives to leather that are both ethically and aesthetically sound.
Meat from the bioreactor is set to become commonplace; oat "milk" froth sits atop the city's trendiest cappuccinos; even in sausage-mad Germany, meat consumption figures are sinking. And now the field of fashion is also coming out of the shadows where replacing animal products in the manufacture of clothes, bags and shoes is concerned. It is important to remember that leather comes from animals that have been raised and slaughtered for meat production. The hides are preserved using elaborate processes that are often harmful to the environment before they are further processed into clothes and accessories. Life-cycle assessment: Abysmal.
Stella McCartney was a pioneer when it came to introducing vegan accessories via her collections. Her highly coveted and hugely distinctive stud-bespangled, chain-adorned bags were initially considered outrageously expensive for a product made of a leather substitute. Value was traditionally attributed to leather because it is a material that requires years of experience on the part of the people who process it before they can handle it with the necessary skill. This expert knowledge, combined with the fact that leather is a natural product that goes through an elaborate selection process, makes leather bags relatively expensive items to buy. But today, accessories made of leather substitutes have become pretty ordinary.
However, this marks but an interim goal. So-called artificial leather is commonly used across the globe today in place of leather – a rather unpleasant material made of plastics like PVC or PU that are petroleum derived and release either toxic chlorine or ozone killers when burned. Which is why people around the world are now eagerly searching for plant-based leather alternatives. And you will find what you're looking for: Sneakers are now being made from coffee, coats from sugar cane and bags from fungi! The benchmark fashion house Hermès, for example, partnered with the startup MycoWorks to deliver a proof-of-concept product last year: The "Victoria" bag is manufactured using a leather alternative called Sylvania, a material grown from mycelium.
Anyone who decides against leather for ethical reasons should, however, think further: According to an article that appeared in the NZZ, most plant-based alternatives are still mixed with plastics, which makes them pretty much non-biodegradable. Additionally, designers are currently in agreement that the new materials fall far short of the durability of leather. And it makes zero sense to further increase the consumption of fashion items for ethical reasons because, particularly in the fast fashion sector, the use of raw materials and the release of CO2 remains an acute problem. At the moment, you're much better off grabbing yourself a second-hand bargain and using it for several years than running out and splashing your cash on the latest fancy bag made of apple leather.
A collection of articles about mycelium-based products, from bike helmets to houses, can be found on the design website dezeen here