Is LEATHER the latest fashion faux pas? How major brands AND A-listers from Gucci to Kylie Jenner are ditching animal hide in favor of ‘vegan’ alternatives… but not everyone is happy with the ‘tacky’ move

It used to be that the only faux leather items available were hard to find and far from fashionable, but now trendy synthetic leather outfits are seemingly inescapable.

The size of the synthetic leather market was estimated at $35.4 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach as much as $74.4 billion by 2032, according to a new study. DataHorizon Research Study – called Synthetic Leather Market Size, Growth, Share, Statistics Report.

DataHorizzon attributes the rise of synthetic leather to “increasing awareness about animal cruelty and the bargain prices of man-made leather,” which “contributes to the growing demand for synthetic leather and its products.”

Now, faux leather can be made from recycled rubber, pineapple, mushrooms and more – and is often durable and recyclable.

Gen Z stars like Kylie Jenner, 26, and Billie Eilish21, jumping on the trend, collaborating with luxury design houses and creating their own faux leather-focused brands. Below, FEMAIL investigated why artificial leather is exploding and the controversy this entails.

Ever since Stella McCartney, now 52, ​​launched her eponymous line in 2001 that emphasized innovative ways to create fabrics from faux leather, fashionistas began proudly swapping their leather goods for luxurious, cruelty-free fabrics.

The lifelong vegetarian was a pioneer for her refusal to use leatherand explains on its website: ‘Leather is not only cruel, but its impact on the environment is also incredibly high,’ adding that the brand will instead look for ‘innovative animal and cruelty-free alternatives that look luxurious and sense and have an impact on the environment that is greater than ever. up to twenty-four times lower than animal leather.’

The London-based brand partnered with the now-defunct biotechnology company Bolt threads to create fabrics from natural ingredients, including mycelium or mushroom roots, that look and feel like leather but are vegan.

But Stella is not the only one making waves in the world of vegan leather. It helps that young celebrities are also promoting advances in faux leather.

Billie previously launched one Nike collaboration in recycled synthetic leather with a pineapple insole.

Now the vegan pop star has teamed up with Gucci’s new creative director Sabato De Sarno to introduce the luxury fashion house’s classic Horsebit 1955 bag made with Demetra, a vegan alternative to in-house developed leather.

The artificial leather is almost entirely plant-based and made from viscose, wood pulp and corn-based plastic.

The rest of the bag is made from synthetic materials, but Gucci is currently planning ways to reduce those materials.

Gucci has released two trendy new asymmetrical bags featuring the inventive material, including a classic black handbag and a monogrammed version, which is also made from hemp and recycled nylon.

While most vegans were happySince traditional leather has a large ecological footprint and the innovative fabrics are a step in the right direction for the famous brand, not everyone praised the stylish innovations.

On a Reddit On a page dedicated to fashion, one user commented, “Vegan leather is the biggest marketing fraud I’ve ever seen,” explaining, “It used to be called leather and known for being cheap, tacky and fake.”

“I’m baffled at how people are calling it vegan leather and expecting people to pay full price for it,” they continued, bewildered.

“I’m from the generation where ‘vegan leather’ automatically means sticky leather,” another Redditor agreed.

“There are a lot of environmental implications associated with the production of ‘animal-free’ products, so I completely agree: they’re all marketing and buzzwords,” another critic noted.

The reactions were even more dramatic regarding Kylie’s foray into faux leather khy.

On Reddit‘, someone joked, ‘whoever rebrands plastic as ‘vegan leather’ is a marketing genius and is going to hell too.’

“Even if it wasn’t an environmental crime, this aesthetic doesn’t even seem that popular anymore. It’s like she’s still dealing with the insta-baddies from a few years ago,” one Kardashian hater commented.

‘If you are going to make clothes, why make artificial leather? Why use the most researched fabric – in terms of how bad it is compared to real leather and how unsustainable it is??” was a popular sentiment.

“Polyester is not biodegradable,” one Reddit user lectured. ‘It can also pollute water. Every time it is washed, microplastic fibers end up in our water system.’

“Should these dresses be considered single-use plastic?” one commenter joked.

“She could have used this as an opportunity to use an innovative new vegan substance: cactus, mushroom, kelp, etc. No, all fossil fuels,” another opponent suggested.

Despite the mixed response to Kylie’s brand, khy made more than $1 million in sales within the first hour of launch, with items like the $198 faux leather trench selling out immediately.

Although artificial leather may not yet be completely sustainable and environmentally friendly, it is still not tested on animals and innovations are constantly being made.

Gen Z shoppers and celebrities are sure to continue the trend, eschewing traditional leather looks for more advanced fabrics.