Vegan leather: A real alternative?
To help you keep track of how far research and designers have come, we’re providing a brief overview in this post. And to make sure you don't miss out on the DIY experience, we have a tutorial further down the article on how you can make your own leather from mushrooms. :)Vegan leather from mushrooms: Myx & MuSkin
Keyword: Myx. This is a leather-like material made from mushrooms. The idea is not entirely new: a few years ago, Danish product designer Jonas Edvard experimented with material made from mushrooms. The result was MYX, which he used to make lampshades, for example.
Since veganism has become mainstream, more and more people are daring to try out this new wonder material themselves. For example, by growing vegan leather right in their own living room. Using a mix of kombucha cultures, water, sugar, apple cider vinegar, and green tea (you can find a guide for this here). These ingredients ferment and, after a while, form a firm skin that can be removed, dried, and subsequently sewn. Berlin-based artist Suzanne Lee has been researching the possibilities of microbially produced leather for years as part of her BioCouture project. Her main focus is on the sustainability of this leather-like material. The production process looks like this:
What initially sounds like a sustainable, ecologically sensible alternative to leather is unfortunately not quite one yet: mushroom leather is not waterproof. It absorbs liquid like a sponge, swells up, and begins to decompose. Poor conditions for shoes, jackets, and the like. However, these properties are interesting for use in the medical field. That is why research is currently being conducted into whether the mushroom material can be used as a skin or bone substitute.
But because the idea of (even!) producing sustainable clothing from renewable raw materials is simply too good, research is of course continuing. And production is already underway. At Fungi.com, you can already order handbags made from mushroom leather:
In the meantime, the Italian company Grado Zero Espace also offers the raw material, called MuSkin. You can order it here.
An interesting project – perhaps even a genuine long-term DIY? If you feel like trying a self-experiment with Suzanne Lee's kombucha leather, here is the recipe for it:
It certainly won't be long before the first clutches made of MuSkin appear. Truly to be welcomed in the name of sustainability. And as far as aesthetics go, there's always room for improvement.
A new star in the vegan leather sky: Piñatex
While mushroom leather is still being researched, a new star has already entered the vegan stage: leather made from pineapple leaves. It goes by the name Piñatex. The name is a combination of piña (Spanish for pineapple) and textile. Piñatex appears to be taking a generally promising approach. Piñatex was invented by Spanish designer Carmen Hijosa. About 8 years ago in the Philippines, she discovered that it was possible to create a leather-like material from pineapple fruit harvest waste. It was important to her that the material be fair, resource-saving in production, environmentally friendly to dispose of, and free of animal suffering – and above all, affordable. She founded the company "Ananas Anam" and has since been making shoes, clothing, accessories, and even sofas from pineapple leather. The structure of the material is reminiscent of rough, coarse-grained leather. Although it consists of fibers, it is not spun into threads and then knitted. On her website, Carmen Hijosa describes the production and recycling process of her invention. The good thing about Hijosa's invention is not only that Piñatex proves to be suitable for everyday use, but that it simultaneously represents a new source of income for Filipino pineapple farmers. They can recycle their harvest waste and do not have to clear new fields to grow the raw material. In the meantime, the material seems to have become mainstream: companies like Puma and Camper have become aware of this leather alternative. Designers are creating bags from Piñatex. And the first shoes are available on Amazon:
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The raw material is probably not yet available on the German market, but at around 25 euros, it is said to be significantly cheaper than animal leather.
Not just for coughs: Eucalyptus
Niosa follows an approach similar to Ananas Anam. The small start-up also manufactures leather alternatives, and not from eucalyptus fibers. The line of reasoning is similar to that of Carmen Hijosa: the material should be environmentally friendly, gene-free, and durable. Belts made of eucalyptus leather are already available.Advanced: Cork leather
We at SewSimple love cork fabric – and love using it for our bags and pouches. But development doesn't stop here, either. In the meantime, you can already buy jackets and T-shirts at Bleed Clothing.Alternative: Artificial leather?
At first glance, faux leather is also a good alternative to animal-based leather. It is lightweight, inexpensive, versatile, and robust. However, it is not without its problems, both in production (crude oil-based) and in disposal. If you have concerns or questions: It's best to get in touch with the manufacturer and ask!In this post, we reveal everything you can sew from vegan leather. There are also plenty of tips and freebooks for animal-free sewing projects!
Happy sewing, your Sabine
Do you already know our survival manual for the sewing jungle? ;)
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