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Last Updated: Apr 25, 2025 | Study Period: 2024-2030
Faux leather is not a novel idea. The first substitute leather was created in the nineteenth century, and the vegan leather business has witnessed tremendous growth since then as the globe has experimented with a wide range of synthetic derivatives.
These plant-based leather solutions range from mushroom, pineapple, and maize to banana, apple, cactus, green tea, coffee grounds, coconut water, and more; several even employ agricultural waste.
Plant leather checks a number of boxes: it's cruelty-free, eco-friendly, and low-impact. Some vegetable leathers are as durable as animal leather while also being appealing and surprisingly leather-like in feel and look.
Mycelium leather, a leather-like substance manufactured from mushrooms, is one of the most popular plant-based leather choices. Mycelium is the subterranean root system of a fungus colony (i.e., mushrooms), and it looks like microscopic threads that spread across the forest floor.
Mushroom leather is made from mycelial cells that have been specifically cultured to provide a soft and strong leather substitute. It can be bred fast and economically in various forms, sizes, and widths, significantly reducing manufacturing time when compared to traditional leather.
Grado Zero Espace, an Italian textile firm, popularized mycelium leather by manufacturing it under the brand name Muskin. Not only is this leather created from plants, but Grado Zero also employs all natural materials.
Piatex (also known as Pinatex), a plant-based leather derived from pineapple leaf fibers, is another popular plant-based leather substitute. One of the best things about pineapple leather is that it makes use of what would otherwise be a waste product from agriculture.
Pinatex also adheres to the circular economy concept and the cradle-to-cradle principles. This signifies that their product was created with the entire lifetime in mind, from cradle to grave. And, like Muskin, this vegetable leather kills two birds with one stone by creating a more sustainable leather substitute from an industry leftover that would otherwise go to waste.
The Global Plant-Based Leather Market accounted for $XX Billion in 2022 and is anticipated to reach $XX Billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of XX% from 2024 to 2030.
Air Gilet, a first-of-its-kind leather-like puffer vest, was launched by Pangaia and Natural Fiber Welding. The interior of the design is lined with Pangaea's organic cotton fleece and filled with FLOWERDOWN. Meanwhile, its exterior is constructed of a newly reformulated and thinner version of Mirum, Natural Fiber Welding's plant-based leather replacement.
The $800 vest is the first ready-to-wear garment created at scale with plant-based leather. Natural Fiber Welding, an Illinois-based material innovation business that created the Mirum material, plans to construct more plants in Southeast Asia over the next two years. The objective is to increase the material's manufacturing rate to millions of square feet each week.
It was critical for Pangaia, a material innovation firm and fashion brand.
At core, they generally manufacture lifestyle goods that are more focused on garments than shoes and bags. Ready-to-wear is one of the sectors that plant-based leather has yet to touch, because the material must be lightweight and flexible while yet being robust enough. Of course, the goal is to accomplish something that is free of plastic.
Pangaia and NFW are both members of the Plastic Free Collective, a group of businesses devoted to discovering solutions to widespread plastic usage, which NFW founded this year. Since its inception, Pangaia has focused on material developments, with new advancements often fueling product partnerships and launches.