All About Materials: Vegea
Have Your Wine and Wear It, Too.
Vegea is one of the many new and exciting leather alternatives hitting the fashion market, and it’s one that I personally can’t wait to try out. Made from discarded grape skins, stalks, and seeds from the wine production process, the would-be waste is made into a powder and mixed with other ingredients like vegetable oil & water-based polyurethane (PU) to create a usable material.
Though the mixed-in PU is still a synthetic that contains petrochemicals (taking away the possibility of biodegradation for this fabric), the water-based form is much less toxic than traditional polyurethane-based faux leathers. Plus, it’s an infinitely better choice than PVC, which can still be found in too many fashion items. While PVC releases toxic chemicals into the environment, Vegea claims its production process is better for both humans and the environment by ensuring no toxic solvents, heavy metals, or dangerous substances are utilized.
Vegea is not a perfect bio-leather alternative, improvements could be made to its sustainability by finding a way to produce without any synthetics, but this is still a significant step in fabric innovation. The wine-originated fabric is diverting a ton of waste from the Italian wine industry and providing a substantially healthier option for those of us who want to avoid the cruelty of animal-based leather (I highly suggest giving Slay a watch if you want to learn more about the horrors behind the leather industry) and the toxicity of PVCs and traditional PUs.
Vegea is just one of the many quickly-developing bio-based leather alternatives that are better for the planet, human health, and our furry friends around the globe. And what’s most exciting is that this material is already on the market, so you can try it out for yourself now! At the top of my list are the Pangaia grape leather sneakers (shop below!), but you can also find other accessories that can even be used for bags and car interiors.
Cheers to more wine in our glasses and wardrobes!
Shop Vegea Items:
