Be careful – your consumers might be in danger of trying to take a bite out of your new, fruit-fabric clothing! Fruits, vegetables, and other food products are finding new purpose out of the fridge and in closets – new technologies and fabric-manufacturing methods in the fashion industry have led to a boom in ethical, sustainable, and cruelty-free clothing production… check out these 6 awesome food-based fabrics that you’ll be dying to try for your own apparel designs!
Grapes
What a grape idea! We all love leather, and now we don’t have to wine about its impact on the planet! Seeds, stalks, and skins are left out of wine-production and would usually go to waste, but new initiatives are using it to make high-quality beautiful “wine leather”… now that’s something to say “cheers” about!
Apples
Similar to wine leather, cider-production sees a lot of waste with apple pulp. So, a new leather alternative has arisen from what would have been garbage: apple leather! It’s 100% biodegradable and cruelty-free, too!
Soy
Tofu is delicious and nutritious meat alternative made from soy, and that same ingredient can be used to make leather alternatives, too! Soy leather is made from liquid runoff that’s a byproduct of tofu-production, and it is low-cost, too! While it’s not yet available for order, you can bet it will be very popular for animal and fashion lovers worldwide.
Tea
You can drink your tea, and wear it, too! “Teather” is the new vegan leather made from kombucha tea. It’s a trendy drink made from SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria of yeast) that is great for digestion, and also great for your wardrobe!
Mushrooms
Biodegradable an oh-so-soft, mushroom leather, or MuSkin, is made from mushroom caps that are tanned using non-toxic methods and ingredients. Best of all? It’s also more water-resistant and breathable than traditional animal-based leathers, making it great for shoes and jackets!
Pineapples
Pineapples are the symbol of the home and of welcoming, so what better way to treat our home, Mother Earth, with respect than to repurpose the waste from harvesting pineapples?! That’s right – pineapple leather is a nonwoven fabric made from leaves discarded from pineapple harvesting, and requires no extra farmland, water, or other resources to produce!
Some fashionistas may not totally get the idea of “food-based fashion” (ahem, Ross…) but the fashion industry is making incredible strides to more sustainable fabric solutions. With all of the ethical and sustainable fabric and leather options out there, we have to wonder: why go for anything else?! There are so many options to choose from that are fabulous quality, look good, and feel good too… but don’t take a bite – they don’t taste that great!
What are some of your favorite sustainable fabrics and materials?
P.S. Looking for affordable fabrics and care to help the planet? We are launching a marketplace that connects designers with garment factories that have excess fabric. Purchasing these fabrics will prevent them from going to landfill. Want to learn more? Subscribe to our newsletter and be the first to get your hands on these fabrics. Sign Up Here.
