What is a vegan leather? Nowadays, everybody speaks about fake, faux, synthetic, and sustainable materials. It s time to focus on these critical issues and the term vegan leather because Luxuryleather is an Italian factory that uses many different materials and sources in the manufacturing process.
From animal origin to no animal origin, at Luxuryleather Italy, just the best and most sustainable leathers.
WHAT IS A VEGAN LEATHER MADE OF?
It is made of an artificial leather-like material called PVC. Let’s soon clarify that Vegan or Faux leather is a NO ANIMAL original product, no animal skin and no animal hides. Indeed most designers and fashion brands, such as the brilliant Stella Mccartney, to protect the animal species, prefer to choose fake leather or vegan materials to make their collections instead of genuine leather.
Recently this phenomenon has been a very requested leitmotiv in the fashion industry owing to a new sustainability concept era that is beginning every day stronger. Thus it is no accident that I often meet by zoom many designers who ask me the same questions:
- How is vegan leather made?
- Is there an environmental impact?
- Is it a sustainable material?
- Is it an excellent alternative to traditional leather?
- Is it a natural product?
- Is it less durable than leather production?
- Is vegan leather durable?
You can get vegan leather from SYNTHETIC LEATHER, which means plastic or from NATURAL sources, such as tree bark, cork ( cork leather ), plants, cotton or organic elements. However, both are FAKE LEATHER. I repeat, fake leather is not real leather cause they have no animal origin.
IS A VEGAN LEATHER REAL LEATHER?
Let s focus our attention on SYNTHETIC materials. Unfortunately, today the most popular material is “plastic vegan leather”, which means the famous PVC leather and PU leather. They call them different types of vegan leather or vegan alternatives, but they are just plastic products.
PVC (polyvinyl chloride) is without mincing words PLASTIC; hence we can imagine how hard it is to recycle this product. Moreover, PVC is not sustainable, is from fossil fuels, and has a lot of environmental criticism.
I think no need to explain here the damages created by a plastic product, plastic bottles or a plastic coating. I know you are a bit surprised, but that’s true. PVC is 100% toxic and made from plastic-based materials with heavy metals, a final product with a negative impact.
The most dangerous scenario in PVC is the presence of DIOXINS in high quantity, a highly toxic element, and toxic chemicals.
I apologize, but PVC and PU are PLASTIC FAKE LEATHER or POLYURETHANE LEATHER.
PU (polyurethane) is another sigla and material that means PLASTIC, a precise type of plastic. It is always a fake or artificial leather, perhaps less toxic than PVC because PU has fewer fossil fuels but indeed polluting. Indeed polyurethane is inherently more eco–friendly than most other plastics, but it is always plastic.
After having all this info, I have a question for you.
Do you realize that VEGAN LEATHER and, above all, PVC and PV are 100% toxic?
WHAT VEGAN LEATHER AND PLASTIC?
Luxuryleather has many requests about this material, but few know what we are discussing. So my humble advice is simple: before choosing a different or innovative material, please study carefully. Today we must be conscious about the products we use and produce.
Our factory is part of a MADE IN ITALY system, and we should inform our customers.
Differences between PLASTIC VEGAN LEATHER (the famous PVC and PU) and FREE PLASTIC VEGAN LEATHER.
We make an eco-friendly material if we produce vegan leather from natural materials such as cotton, cork oak trees, kelp or pineapple plants. By the way, the fewest vegan leathers are from raw materials today, and these innovative goods still need some petroleum products to hold the fibres together.
VEGAN LEATHER DEFINITION? IMITATION LEATHER
Unfortunately, I have to tell you that it is true. Still, there is good news as well. Natural vegan leather is less toxic than plastic leather ( PVC, PU) cause inside, there are more natural elements and small plastic elements or chemical products.
Several luxury brands have used their new collections of NATURAL VEGAN LEATHERS or PLASTIC FREE VEGAN LEATHER these last few days. They want to be innovative but, above all, to achieve the target of sustainable development by creating a new economic path.
VEGAN LEATHER FROM CACTUS IS A GOOD ALTERNATIVE.
Recently is becoming a trend to be a vegan or to have a vegan life, which means don’t consume anything with animal products, animal origins, or animal cruelty. For example, vegans don’t eat meat and refuse entirely to wear leather goods or clothing made from animal sources. We must respect these choices and ideas.
At our Italian factory, in the last few years, we got mainly requests for vegan products, so we need to make it clear once and for all that we have to repeat we don t use PLASTIC MATERIALS but just SUSTAINABLE SOURCES. So please don’t ask us to make bags or leather garments in PVC, PU or by using SYNTHETIC sources because we are a sustainable fashion factory.
Several customers need bags and leather clothing collections of vegan origin because many of them have embraced a SUSTANAINABLE philosophy, our same choice.
Please have a look at the bag above; they are vegan. In this case, we used Cactus Vegan Leather, a vegan leather that protects well from direct sunlight, has good resistance and can clean with a damp cloth.
WHAT IS A VEGAN LEATHER MADE FROM?
Today there is a lot of confusion about vegan leather, natural, ecology, PU, and PVC; with this post, I believe we should draw clear guidelines for new designers and established companies.
VEGAN LEATHER means fake one. There is a massive request because now is a trend movement to protect animal species. It should be from Synthetic materials (PVC, PU) or Natural materials ( cotton, cork, etc.), and both elements have a sustainability problem, as I informed you before.
Choosing suitable materials for your bags or collection is an important step. In addition to offering different materials, such as genuine leather, synthetic, or natural material,
Luxury&leather Italy.we assist new designers in selecting the right source.
VEGAN LEATHER VS REAL LEATHER?
Synthetic materials are today an OPTION, a fake option, not a natural reply, as it should be genuine vegetable leather, a vegetable-tanned leather that, even if it comes from an animal, is 100% SUSTAINABLE. Honestly, I think if you are reading this post, it means you felt conscious of the situation. The production of vegan leather will have a long way.
If you need an alternative to animal origin, Vegan leather is your answer. Today Luxuryleather offers different kinds of faux leather products; the only problem is that these products are not so cheap and have some restrictions.
For example, real leather ages much better than vegan leather. The feel of natural leather is softer than a vegan one, also. Moreover, it offers more possibilities for tannery processing, instead of a fake one where we can t make different refinishing at the moment but keep its basic style.
VEGAN LEATHER VS FAUX LEATHER, TYPES OF PLASTIC.
Research into environmental sustainability is becoming a prerogative for companies like us, like Luxuryleather, who are operating globally. In this context, we prefer to inform our new customers care about the best materials.
It s clear that SUSTAINABLE is everywhere today. In any case, we must try to spread this philosophy cause we have to protect our planet, and I am sure you will make the right choice depending on your values.
It is up then you now, Plastic leather, Free Plastic leather or Real Leather. If in your mind, in your leather collection, you are looking for a permanent concept that must offer more guarantees, in this case, we suggest you opt for animal origin or genuine leather in natural tannins.
It doesn’t mean we are obsolete or aged. On the contrary, we respect and follow customers’ indications, but it is clear that genuine leather guarantees:
- Durability, naturalness and resistance.
- Natural resources, good quality and good condition
- feel of real leather, very soft and natural
- the real thing, high quality and the best option
WHICH ARE THE MOST COMMONLY USED MATERIALS?
Thanks to our Italian tanneries or Italian tanning system in the leather industry, targets are achieved. Indeed in our country, the tanning process, methods and refinishing have reached very high standards, with no harmful chemicals used. We can honestly say that today Italy is a leader in the tanning process, with several solutions to improve animal welfare and human health. The only waste product is animal skin, and thanks to our TANNERIES, we can recycle these materials, transforming the by-product of the meat industry. HONESTLY, animals, such as sheep, lamb or goats, are killed for the food industry, not just the leather industry.
In conclusion of this blog post, however, our factory undoubtedly offers vegan leather alternatives, so plant-based leather from pineapple leaves, cactus, apples and real leather products tanned in a vegetable process.
Our mainly vegan leather products are :
- vegan leather jacket in grape leather or cactus leather
- vegan leather shoes in sustainable alternatives
- vegan leather bags in sustainable vegan leather
Please have a look at our portfolio. You can have an idea of how we can elevate your brand, and above all, you have free access to vegan bags and products we make for other brands and companies.
Our final advice about your choice is to take all the time you need, and don t forget that if you have doubts, we are here to help you. Our Italian factory commonly uses FREE vegan leather plastic or plant-based materials. We are apprehensive about environmental concerns, and a better world means better lives, a priority to follow. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with our office to get further details by sending an email at: