Vegan Leather…More Than Just Faux
13-09-2015
I’ve chosen to write about vegan leather after hearing about it on Project Runway a couple of weeks ago. One of the designers, Candice Cuoco, was looking for her usual faux leather, but since it wasn’t available at Mood, she opted for vegan leather instead. Now, I didn’t realise there was any difference between the average faux leather and vegan leather because I thought they were both qualified as being free from animal products, however I’m actually quite wrong.
The thing is, with most true vegan leathers, they’re also good for the environment, unlike a lot of traditional artificial leathers, such as those made from petroleum, as they release toxic pollutants into the atmosphere when they’re manufactured. There are also variety of leathers with coats of PVC and those made with polyester and nylon, but I’m going to gloss past those and talk about the rarer, more environmentally friendly ones.
If you want to go into full-on eco-warrior mode, there are a variety of options available to you. For instance, there are now leathers made from cork, which is not only waterproof and completely recyclable, but by creating forests of cork for the fashion industry, we are preventing deforestation and promoting conservation, therefore the process has a positive global impact.
Aside from cork trees, leather is also made from various other trees, creating normal wood leather. The great thing about wood leather is that each piece is unique since the grain of every tree is slightly different. It can also be treated with non-toxic chemicals to make it more durable and flexible, making it seem like real leather but fortunately without the harmful effects on the environment.
There is also ocean leather, which is steadily becoming more popular, made from kelp and seaweed. Although this seems odd, it is also harvested from exclusively sustainable sources, and therefore there are no repercussions on the sea life.
Coolstone leather is a relatively new and strange concept. It’s made from slate that can be sewn and therefore there aren’t many colour options apart from grey…but still, how innovative does that sound? With wear, it becomes softer and therefore it’s a great investment as the longer you use it, the more like leather it becomes.
With all these different options, there’s no excuse for us not to convert to vegan leather, so let’s all pitch together and live in a sustainable fashion!
By Sophie Lau
http://www.stellamccartney.com
http://www.hipstersforsisters.com
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