Ganni to phase out leather, will use plant-based alternatives

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Oct 26, 2021

Danish label Ganni is saying no to leather and will phase out the material within two years as it opts for plant-based materials instead.

The company has a popular and profitable leather offer but brand founder Nicolaj Reffstrup said that using and selling leather will “soon be as outdated as smoking on TV”.

The company is working with Italy’s Vegea on the leather elimination project and will offer eight pairs of shoes made with Vegea’s leather alternative for SS22.

Reffstrup added that the label wants to “minimise our impact due to high levels of methane emissions from the livestock. Introducing Vegea, a plant-based alternative made from agricultural waste, is a step in the direction towards more responsible collection.”

Despite designers showing strong interest in leather alternatives, the quality and feel of such materials has — until now — been an issue. Earlier this year, Stella McCartney said that most of the plant leathers she was previously presented with were too stiff and hard for use beyond a few product categories and certainly weren’t suitable for clothing.

Previous leather alternatives have also used an unacceptably high level of plastics, which create their own environmental problems. Vegea is 55% vegetable oil and grapes and 45% water-based polyurethane (PU).

By using agricultural waste, it also keeps it out of landfill.