To highlight sustainable and ethical substitutes for animal leather we've rounded up six materials that can rival its textural and performance qualities, from vegan pineapple leather to a leather alternative made of seafood shells.
Leather and fur have long epitomised luxury in the worlds of fashion, accessories and furniture. But recently, popular opinion has started to shift with growing awareness about the cruelty of mass livestock rearing and the number of resources consumed and carbon emitted in the process.
In response, major fashion houses including Gucci, Burberry, Ralph Lauren and Vivienne Westwood have decided to ditch fur. 2018 marked the first time the material wasn't used by a single designer on the London Fashion Week line-up.
The response to leather has been slower, even though it involves a slew of chemicals such as formaldehyde, cyanide and chromium in the process of tanning and dyeing, which can be hazardous to both people and the environment.
According to a poll by market research company Morning Consult, more than a third of people in the UK and 23 per cent of people in the US think that leather is an inappropriate material to use in clothing.
But so far, most luxury brands, such as Chanel, Prada and Versace have only chosen to ban leather derived from certain exotic animals such as crocodiles, snakes and kangaroos.
That's why a cohort of young, independent designers and material research startups are hoping to fast track the move away from animal leath...