Not into leather ? Here are a few alternatives you can use

Choosing materials for a bag collection used to be limited to leather or synthetics such as PU and PVC but this is definitely not the case anymore! There are so many environmentally conscious alternatives you can explore that look and feel like leather or synthetics but help the environment and support innovative suppliers.

Let’s start with an environmentally friendly option: recycled leather. A company called Salamander Bonded Leather has developed a way to recycle small off-cuts of leather from shoe soles and transform these seemingly useless morsels into recycled leather sheets, giving small off-cuts a new lease on life. Their recycled leather contains 80% leather and 20% natural latex and they don't use harmful chemicals. They have a range of debossing finishes from Croc to Lizard print and they are OEKO-tex certified. Relea also offers recycled leather using offcuts and natural rubber. They finish their recycled leather sheets with a Nappa finish.

Looking for a material that’s Vegan? Texon who has developed paper cellulose-based 'leather' that is washable and biodegradable. They have an impressive collection with a wide range of finishes. Their Vogue collection offers coated, buffalo print, patent and metallic finishes that look just like leather. Their brand new collection: Key Way is their premium offering which contains 70% cellulose and 30% latex and comes in a premium metallic, croc print, snake print, and patent effects. You can expect to pay EUR 22-30 per meter on a 1,45m roll which is quite competitive for such a high-quality product. I found so many exciting innovations in the way of vegan materials.

Centro Accessories have developed ‘leathers’ made from apples and cactus. Obviously, apples and cactus alone won’t be able to produce a sturdy material so they add a sustainably sourced latex to the apple to give the material a durable quality which you need for bags and accessories. Centro Accessories didn’t stop there! They also have bamboo-based 'leather' and recycled leather. The most interesting offering on their stand was a leaf leather which consisted of a leaf that had been picked up and processed to create a 'leather' like material. Centro Accessories also have a range of recycled hardware and zips. They had a range of hardware made from coconut waste and a range of zips that use organic cotton and recycled polyester zip tapes.

There are so many alternatives you can use to leather while keeping the look and feel of a high quality hide. Why not use a leather alternative in your next collection?