Vegan leather is an ethical alternative to traditional leather, and it can be classified into Synthetic leather and plant-based leather. Sustainability aspects have come under the spotlight globally in the last few years, especially in the textile and fashion industry.
Therefore, an increase in Vegan leather has been noted, which has also been boosted after acknowledgments from various celebrities, including Miley Cyrus, Emma Watson, and Serena Williams.
Shweta Nimkar, the founder of a vegan footwear brand, said, “Any leather that is made without the use of any animal products/hide is called vegan leather. There are several varieties in vegan leather, from manmade leather, polyurethane (PU leather) etc to leather made from pineapple, cactus and other plants.
A report from the Copenhagen Fashion Summit has brought the world’s attention to one pretty significant truth: Synthetic leather is less harmful to the planet than cow leather. The 2017 Pulse of The Fashion Industry Report compares the environmental impact of animal leather versus synthetic leather, and other textiles. When you compare genuine leather to vegan/synthetic leather, this report found that materials such as genuine leather are amongst the top five least environmentally sustainable products. In comparison, synthetic or vegan leather has far less impact in terms of greenhouse gases, water used for production and depletion of fossil fuels, not to mention the animal abuse and cruelty that follows in order to produce genuine leather.”
From designers switching from traditional leather to vegan leather to brands investing in bio-leather research, vegan leather’s popularity has increased. One of the reasons for this is an increased awareness of sustainability and consciousness among consumers.
Shivani Patel, the founder of the brand Arture, said, “As the consumer is becoming more aware of sustainable choices, there has been an increase in demand for vegan leather and we only see this trend growing in the future.”
Rumika Sharma, founder, Broke Mate, a PETA-approved brand, “With the consumer becoming more conscious about sustainability and wanting to make more ethical choices when it comes to what they purchase and what they wear, vegan leather is gaining popularity. While plant-based vegan leather is still new in the market and relatively expensive, it will become affordable in the coming years as the demand and popularity grows. The largest fashion brands of the world have also launched vegan product lines in recent years and the trend is growing very rapidly.
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Thus, it could be said that sustainable vegan leather is becoming a fashion fad.
