The devil wears vegan leather

Pinatex is made from pineapple leaves.

Vegans may not eat dairy products, but they are saying cheese.

The market for animal-free products is booming. Just a few days ago, actress Catherine Zeta Jones further galvanized it by launching vegan leather shoes in collaboration with British brand Butterfly Twists.

“Vegan materials are so advanced and luxurious now, it is difficult to tell the difference between real leather and vegan leather,” Zeta Jones said. “I know that it’s an important consideration for many women, and I’m happy I can create something that is sustainable without sacrificing style.”

Zeta-Jones may be speaking only for women customers, but ethical manufacturing is becoming important to male buyers too.

As a result, not just celebrities, but most major brands are trying out vegan options. They include luxury labels such as Gucci and Hermes, and sports and casual wear brands such as Adidas, Nike and Crocs.

India, too, has several D2C vegan labels, such as Zouk, Aulive, Arture and A Big Indian Story. The global vegan leather market is expected to be worth $90 billion by 2025, according to Infinium Global Research.

But what are the materials manufacturers are using instead of leather? And who are some of the people providing these materials? Here are five companies, four of them startups, that are being alchemists, turning pineapples, mushrooms or cacti into environmental gold.

1. Ananas-anam

Innovation: Pinatex, made from pineapple leaf

Founder: Carmen Hijosa

According to the firm’s website, Hijosa, a leather goods expert, was consulting on the Philippines leather export industry in the 1990s. She was shocked at the environmental impact of mass leather production and chemical tanning.

Hijosa looked at the abundant natural resources available, including the use of plant fibres in traditional Filipino weaving, such as in Barong Tagalog, the nation’s traditional shirt. She sought to create a non-woven textile that could be commercially produced, provide positive social and economic impact and maintain a low environmental footprint throughout its life cycle.

Pinatex is used by several independent designers, including India’s Aulive and A Big Indian Story.

2. Bolt Threads

Innovation: Mylo, made from mycelium, found in mushroom roots or rotting tree trunks

Founders: Dan Widmaier, David Breslauer

The company website says that, “In 2009, a bioengineer, a biophysicist, and a biochemist (Breslauer, Widmaier and Ethan Mirsky, who is no longer with the company) came together with an optimistic idea that through biotechnological innovation, they could change the world. They founded Bolt Threads with the goal to develop better materials for a better world.”

About Mylo, its star product that has attracted the attention of high-rollers such as Adidas and Stella McCartney, the company says, “Made from mycelium—the complex latticework of underground fibers so strong they hold the planet together—Mylo is soft, supple, and less harmful to the environment.”

In April 2021, Adidas introduced the Mylo version of its classic Stan Smith shoe. McCartney has used the material in her collections. The Mylo consortium also includes Lululemon and the Kering Group, which owns brands such as Gucci, YSL and Bottega Veneta.

3. MycoWorks

Innovation: Reishi, derived from fine mycelium

Founders: Philip Ross, Sophia Wang

MycoWorks is another company that is refining fabrics originating from mushrooms into fine leathers, the bedrock of many luxury goods. Hermes, whose handbags trigger an Olympic-level sprint from the wealthy all over the world, partnered with MycoWorks for one of its products.

The company was started in 2013 by Ross, a chef and an artist who knew the potential of mushrooms, and whose work has been shown at leading art galleries, including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Wang joined him later on.

Last year, MycoWorks secured $45 million in Series B funding. Investors included actress Natalie Portman and musician John Legend.

4. Gucci

Innovation: Demetra, from plant-based raw materials

Founders: Gucci

It may be surprising to see an opulent, unapologetic luxury maison in this list. But sustainability is so important today for legal, image and therefore bottom line reasons, that a brand’s survival demands climbing off the high horse of aristocratic practices.

This June, after some two years of R&D, and presumably a lot of espressos, Gucci announced the arrival of Demetra. It is made primarily from plant-based raw materials. For starters, three of the brand’s sneakers will be made using Demetra. The name is inspired by Demeter, the Greek goddess of agriculture.

5. Adriano Di Marti

Innovation: Desserto, made from cactus

Founders: Adrián López Velarde and Marte Cázarez

From the unforgiving deserts of Mexico, comes a forgiving material created by two trendy sombrero-wearing founders. López Velarde and Cázarez had worked in the furniture, automotive and fashion industries and were dismayed by the pollution the businesses caused. In an effort to create an alternative to animal leather, they developed an option made with nopal (a cactus). They successfully showcased it in October 2019 in Milan and called it Desserto.

Ironically, Karl Lagerfeld, a label that unflinchingly used fur in earlier years, teamed up with Desserto for a collection. It involved supermodel and sustainability advocate Amber Valletta, who was also a friend of the late, enigmatic Lagerfeld. “This collaboration shows that we don’t have to sacrifice great style to make responsibly made fashion,” Valletta said.

The devil better wear pineapple Prada in today’s world.