Your Cart is Empty
Contents:
Why not Traditional Leather? | What is Faux Leather? | Vegan Leather Pros | What is Vegan Leather? | Designer Vegan Leather | The Outlook is Good
Whether you live a vegan lifestyle or not, today there are more vegan-friendly alternatives to real leather on the market than ever before.
From fruits to vegetables to rocks, manufacturers are getting creative with materials, and there are tons of options available, with more in production.
But whilst you might never consider wearing a garment or carrying a bag made from animal skin, choosing an alternative leather is more complicated than you might think.
Each material has a different impact on the planet and there's no perfect solution (yet). There's also the challenge of balancing cost, quality and manufacturing practices.
At Leafy Souls we keep it simple - no leather products, ever. All the products on our site are 100% cruelty-free.
It's our mission to make it easy to enjoy a vegan lifestyle. So below is a comprehensive guide that will explain why vegan leather is better than traditional leather. We will also explain how traditional leather is made, the effects on the environment of both animal and vegan leather, and the various alternatives available.
So grab a cup of fair-trade coffee, and let's get started!
Vegans just don't do leather from animals. Aside from the issue of killing an animal to make a handbag, real leather is not an environmentally friendly product, and we shouldn't include it in our fashion.
But it's not just animals that are harmed by leather - the processes used to make genuine leather products put the health of traditional leather-workers at risk. And the lax regulations in factories often deposit toxic waste into our water and food supply in the form of wastewater and airborne solvents.
All so that we can wear products made from animal hides? Doesn't sound very ethical, but some leathers to advertise themselves as ethical leather, based on how the animals were farmed and the tanning process involved.
You need to be able to spot the difference between these and a real cruelty-free vegan leather, so let's dive a little deeper into the problems around traditional leather and the two main tanning processes.
Hey new friend! To say thanks for visiting Leafy Souls and supporting our mission, here's a gift of $5 off any purchase on our site. We have over 500 stylish, high-quality and 100% vegan products. So what are you waiting for? Just use 'WELCOME5' at check-out and view our beautiful collection here!
Animal hides need to undergo a tanning process to prevent the skin from rotting.
Chrome tanning is the quickest way to prepare leather - the tanning process completes within a day, and 80 to 90 percent of the world's leather comes from chrome tanning.
Chrome tanned leather takes on durability like plastic and does not biodegrade, nor can it be recycled. But it’s the chemicals in the process that are really dangerous for the environment.
More often than not, the process incorporates chemicals, including chromium, formaldehyde, and dyes.
Chromium, like all heavy metals, is toxic. According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, formaldehyde is just as poisonous.
ALS risk, nervous system consequences, chest pain, shortness of breath, coughing, nose and throat irritation, asthma, allergies, and last but not least, cancer are the horrific side effects of this nasty colorless gas.
When chrome tanning, workers soak the hides in acid at the beginning of the process. When they remove the leathers, they leave behind wastewater that is toxic if not properly treated.
What's more, the wastewater needs disposing of, and whatever chemicals are in it will enter nearby rivers and lakes.
There is a chemical-free alternative to chrome tanning called vegetable tanning. Because it uses traditional methods it's often touted as a more ethical alternative - but it's still made from animal skin. Don't be fooled!
Vegetable tanning uses tannins found in trees and other plants to give animal skin its resistance to rotting, flexibility, and durability.
It's the original tanning method for leather, dating back to 6000 BC, b ut it was quickly eclipsed by the cheaper, faster, chrome tanning process came in the mid-19th century.
Vegetable tanning is often touted as an ethical alternative, but it still involves killing live animals for the hides in the first place.
It does make things confusing, so to keep it simple, you won’t find any animal leather products on LeafySouls.com.
If you're trying to find out what the difference is between faux leather and vegan leather - well, they are similar, but not quite the same.
Faux leather is any substrate that is made to look like genuine leather but is actually a synthetic product. It's free from animal cruelty and like real leather, faux leather is easy to clean, water-resistant and soft and pliable.
The type you've probably seen before is Pleather, leather made from plastic, which we'll take a look at below.
Because we want to make a vegan lifestyle accessible and affordable to as many people as possible, we hand-pick low-impact, high-quality pleather products to present to you on Leafy Souls.
For true fashionistas, most faux leather doesn't age or acquire a patina the way traditional leather can, and it's not as breathable or durable either.
However this faux-leather vegan shoulder bag is a great example of how ethical alternatives look just as stylish as the original.
But aside from faux leather, there's lots of new, exciting types made from innovative materials like fruits and even stone (more on these in a moment). It's these new innovations that people are usually referring to when they say 'vegan leather'.
There's no perfect solution yet. Whilst each one is more ecologically friendly than animal leather, they all still has an impact on the environment and can also vary greatly in cost.
The first faux leather was invented at the U.S. rubber plant in Naugatuck, Connecticut in 1920, and given the name Naugahyde.
A leather-look vinyl-coated fabric, Naugahyde, was first used to make handbags.
The brand took off in the 1960s with a marketing campaign featuring a fictional faux leather monster named the Nauga, who molted once a year to bring Naugahyde to living room upholstery and handbags.
Pleather is a term for plastic leather, generally made by layering polyurethane (PU) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC) on fabric.
PU and PVC are both plastics, synthetic materials commonly used in the making of pleather. For example, this trendy elegant clutch is very popular.
Neither one is considered a completely environmentally friendly material. Still, experts believe PVC to be worse than PU in general, releasing potentially toxic dioxins when burnt.
Is PU leather vegan? Yes, although we are looking at ways to phase pleather products out of our site entirely. For now it's a good way to encourage non-vegans to shop ethically without a high-price, so we still have some PU products on our site.
What get's us really excited is the host of new plant-based vegan leathers coming onto the scene as an alternative to pleather.
Keep reading to learn about some of these exciting new products that share the use of organic materials, and that is changing the answer to the question: "What is vegan leather?"
Say what? Yes. You can now wear shoes made from coffee.
A German company, nat-2, has developed a vegan leather made from recycled coffee, beans, and coffee plants.
The coffee product makes up about 50 percent of the materials in the finished shoe, which also uses recycled plastic, natural rubber, and cork.
The finished product does smell like coffee, but we think that's a good thing. The first run of this sneaker sold out, according to content on the product page, but it looks like nat-2 plans to make more coffee shoes.
Yes, banana leather. Bananas do not grow on trees but the world's largest perennial herb, known as the banana plant.
Unlike fruit trees, which continue fruiting every season, the banana plant provides only one crop of bananas.
More plants can send out suckers from the underground stem, but the actual stem that produced bananas will never fruit again.
So what to do with these past-their-prime plants? Why, make banana leather, of course! Banana leather manages to be biodegradable, water-resistant, and durable all at once.
Apple leather is not the kind of fruit leather you may have grown up snacking on, though the finished product does look a little like the fruit strips you'll find at the health food store.
If you can make synthetic leather from bananas, why not apples?
We turn apples into leather." The Apple Girl's company slogan.
The company turns apple pulp waste into 100 percent biodegradable, vegan leather.
Yes, there are still more varieties of vegan leather made of fruit. Also known as wine leather, Vegea, an Italian company, produces grape leather.
Vegea sources winemaking leftovers, specifically grape skins, stalks, and seeds to make its products.
The company does not allow the use of toxic chemicals or heavy metals in its production. Bentley used Vegea's vegan leather in the interior of its 2019 electric concept car.
Another alternative to traditional leather comes from discarded pineapple tops. A company called Ananas Amam uses this byproduct to create its sustainable vegan leather, called Piñatex.
This byproduct gives the farmers an additional income stream that requires no extra resources.
Ananas Amam extracts the fibers from the leaves using an automated machine created for this purpose.
The biomass that remains once the device removes the threads converts into fertilizer or biofuel, so no waste remains.
The extracted fibers process into a sort of mesh, which is then exported to Spain to be finished into the final vegan leather.
Ananas Amam distributes Piñatex directly to designers.Piñatex is used in interior design and car interiors as well as for clothing, shoes, and accessories.
Hugo Boss makes sneakers out of this vegan leather. Check out the#madefrompinatex hashtag on Instagram to see the other products made from pineapple leaves, and if you have a Piñatex accessory, share it!
Moving away from fruits into vegetables, we arrive at vegan leather made from mushrooms.
Amadou Leather is a brand of mushroom leather. The company grows its mushrooms on sawdust blocks.
The company claims that the leather absorbs moisture and is breathable. The end product is fully biodegradable and, the company claims, antimicrobial.
Slightly less appealing, MuSkin vegan leather comes from the Phellinus ellipsoideus, a giant alien-life-form-looking parasitic fungus that attaches to and feeds on subtropical trees.
You're not very likely to encounter this vegan leather, as the production capacity of MuSkin is quite low at the moment.
And while it is biodegradable, this suede-like faux leather is also somewhat fragile, requiring lamination to a fabric layer to increase its durability.
Called the "Berlin Curry" sneaker, nat-2 has used red pepper applied to an eco-flax layer to create the vegan leather used to make up to 50 percent of this shoe.
The remaining materials are cork, glass (for the company's local), and recycled plastic.
OK, now I'm just pulling your leg. Am I, though? It turns out that, yes, you can make vegan leather from coconut water!
Malai Design and Materials makes a vegan leather out of bacterial cellulose from coconut water. The water they use is a byproduct that they then discard.
This vegan leather has a papery appearance, not unlike snakeskin.
Two German brands put their heads together and created a sneaker made from leather derived from rock. And it's not something that Wilma or Betty would wear.
The companies Rosslyn and nat-2 (who you may remember from the coffee sneakers above) created a leather-like material out of slate stone.
[The Stone] has been made light, soft and flexible through a very complicated and state of the art technology." nat-2 company spokesperson.
nat-2 also has a sneaker made of recycled Swarovski rhinestones. The company sources the rhinestones which do not make it to sale from Swarovski.
It's not just for your wine bottle anymore. Cork is one of the more popular sustainable vegan leather options on this list.
Cork is naturally water-resistant, which makes it a great candidate for fashioning into bags and shoes.
Depending on the finish, cork products sometimes really do resemble a wine bottle stopper, and other times they look more like real leather.
Some rubber products, like inner tubes, are great candidates for vegan leather shoes and accessories. These biker boots use vegan leather derived from rubber.
nat-2 is at it again with sneakers made from rose petals. The petals, which retain their fragrance, are layered onto a flax fabric before being applied to the shoe.
The company says the roses' source varies depending upon sustainable practices and availability at the time of manufacture. nat-2 uses ash, birch, maple, tulip tree, walnut, cherry, elm, and beech from ethically managed forests.
nat-2 also offers a wooden sneaker made of up to 90 percent sustainable wood.
The wood is applied to organic cotton and vector engraved in a way that the material bends and becomes soft and flexible like a fine nappa leather. The feel is very smooth and fine, while you can smell the wood and see the tree's natural texture." nat-2 company spokesperson.
Did you think that there couldn't possibly be any more sustainable vegan leather products out there?
Entrepreneurs see potential in the market and are developing more leathers made from unusual materials. To name just a few more:
One of the most well-known animal-free designers is Stella McCartney.
McCartney designs synthetic leather pieces and has tried to develop more environmentally friendly options.
Since 2013, the label has used alter-nappa, a material that incorporates polyester and polyurethane on a recycled polyester backing along with a coating made of 50 percent vegetable oil.
The recycled support piece reduces the amount of petroleum used in the material's production. However, it does not eliminate it.
On her web site, McCartney says that she uses only water-borne and solvent-free PU, which are more environmentally friendly than traditional PU.
McCartney acknowledges that the synthetic leather she uses still harms the environment, even though it is reduced, and reveals that she is exploring lab-grown leather.
Many car manufacturers are putting vegan leather on board their new vehicles.
In addition to the grape-leather Bentley concept car, Mercedez-Benz is planning a recycled-plastic leather for the interior of its EQS concept car.
Many car manufacturers are putting vegan leather onboard their new vehicles. In addition to the grape-leather Bentley concept car, Mercedez-Benz is planning a recycled-plastic leather for the interior of its EQS concept car.
It is our job now to re-define modern luxury by Mercedes. What is for certain is that attractive, contemporary luxury must be sustainable—and sustainably fascinating," company head Ola Källenius told PETA.
Many other companies are already using synthetic leather in the vegan interiors of some of their cars, including:
You can view a comprehensive list of availability by car model on PETA's website. If you're not content with these options, PETA also has a list of companies that could improve and encourages you to contact them to request fully vegan leather car interiors.
But you know the outlook is good when big companies like BMW, Tesla, Ferrari, Mercedes Benz, and Lexus offer vegan leather seating in their high-end vehicles.
Vegan leather is changing the world! Is there a vegan future for leather? Absolutely! It's already here with us in the present!
Leather and faux leather are outdated, cruel, and pollutant heavy-industry. Its days are ultimately numbered -and that can only be a good thing.
Like vegan foods, which are more and more in the main-stream, so are vegan accessories and clothing.
Your savvy vegan shopper cares just as much about what they wear as much as what they eat.
In addition to the environmentally friendly vegan companies listed above, other great companies are growing by the day.
The cruelty-free industry is expanding not only its food choices but product choices too. It's a great time to live as a vegan, on our own terms!
Hey new friend! To say thanks for visiting Leafy Souls and supporting our mission, here's a gift of$5 off any purchaseon our site. We have over 500 stylish, high-quality and 100% vegan products. So what are you waiting for? Just use 'WELCOME5' at check-out and viewour beautiful collectionhere!
Sara Phillipps
A vegan freelance web designer and blog writer based out of Austin, Texas USA.
Comments will be approved before showing up.
In this guide you can see the detailed sizing charts to all our products
| S | M | L | XL | 2XL | 3XL | 4XL | 5XL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Width, in | 19 | 21 | 23 | 25 | 27 | 29 | 31 | 33 |
| Length, in | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 |
| Sleeve length, in | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 |
| S | M | L | XL | 2XL | 3XL | 4XL | 5XL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Width, cm | 47 | 52.1 | 57.2 | 62.2 | 67.3 | 72.4 | 77.5 | 82.6 |
| Length, cm | 72.4 | 74.9 | 77.5 | 80 | 82.6 | 85.1 | 87.6 | 90.2 |
| Sleeve length, cm | 18.4 | 19.7 | 20.9 | 22.2 | 23.5 | 24.8 | 26 | 27.3 |
| S | M | L | XL | 2XL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Width, in | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 22 |
| Length, in | 26 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 28 |
| Sleeve length, in | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| S | M | L | XL | 2XL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Width, cm | 41.2 | 43.8 | 46.3 | 50.2 | 54 |
| Length, cm | 64.4 | 66 | 67.6 | 69.2 | 70.8 |
| Sleeve length, cm | 17.3 | 17.9 | 18.5 | 19.1 | 19.7 |
| S | M | L | XL | 2XL | 3XL | 4XL | 5XL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sleeve length, in | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 27 |
| Length, in | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 |
| Width, in | 20 | 23 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 33 | 34 |
| S | M | L | XL | 2XL | 3XL | 4XL | 5XL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sleeve length, cm | 62.9 | 62.9 | 62.9 | 62.9 | 62.9 | 62.9 | 67.9 | 67.9 |
| Length, cm | 68.5 | 71.1 | 73.6 | 76.2 | 78.7 | 81.2 | 83.8 | 86.3 |
| Width, cm | 50.8 | 55.9 | 60.9 | 66 | 71.1 | 76.2 | 81.3 | 86.3 |
Brandon Pierce
Helen, the problem is that there really is no way to determine whether or not an item is made from real leather, but chances are, cheaply made items will be made from faux leather, and you’ll notice a distinct leathery smell on genuine items.
In some instances, real leathers are used for their specific properties, but in most cases, people who just enjoy the looks of leather can always adopt a faux leather item as it will have a similar appearance and quality.