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Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.

‘Vegan Leather’ or Plastic? A Materials Marketing Battle Heats Up

Fuzzy definitions and bad data have left fashion consumers facing an array of claims and counterclaims as new and established materials jostle to market their sustainability credentials.
An attendee wears a rhinestone-covered jumpsuit and carries a faux leather Stella McCartney handbag during Paris Fashion Week, March 2022.
A Paris Fashion Week attendee carries a Stella McCartney handbag. The designer has led efforts to show faux leather could be luxurious. (Edward Berthelot/Getty Images)

“Do you know where your clothes come from? Would you wear plastic?” Those are questions Australian wool group

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Further Reading

Would You Buy a Mushroom Handbag?

For the first time, brands including Stella McCartney, Balenciaga and Hermès are bringing products made of buzzy mushroom-based materials to market, a critical test for whether the next-generation fabrics could one day hit the mainstream.

How Ganni Plans to Eliminate Leather

Around a fifth of the Danish brand’s sales came from handbags, shoes and other leather pieces last year, but it’s on a mission to stop using virgin leather by 2023.

About the author
Sarah Kent
Sarah Kent

Sarah Kent is Chief Sustainability Correspondent at The Business of Fashion. She is based in London and drives BoF's coverage of critical environmental and labour issues.

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