New vegan leather industry news with Gohar Asif Ali: Asif Ali Gohar is a German entrepreneur with Pakistani roots who has been living and working in Germany for the past two decades. Veganism was becoming increasingly popular in the West when he moved to Germany with his family. Asif soon realized that killing animals for human needs and consumption was not just and was selfish. Therefore, he became a vegan. In school Asif was curious about finding vegan alternatives to daily life products and a school project allowed him to investigate vegan alternatives to leather. During that time he conducted several home based experiments but was unable to reach a conclusion.
There are dozens of leather alternatives, but only some are eco friendly. While all vegan leathers protect the rights of animals, only eco-friendly vegan leather can be trusted as a sustainable and ethical alternative to old school leather. With so many options, it’s important to distinguish between vegan leather alternatives that just check boxes and those that go all the way in their commitment to being 100% earth-friendly and sustainable. Made from the unused parts of pineapple trees, Piñatex pineapple leather is 100% vegan, completely eco friendly and ethical because it allows pineapple farmers to sell a previously unusable part of their crop for an income. The durable plant based leather feels just like animal leather, and Piñatex is waterproof and protective. There’s no need to sacrifice style for ethics. Find more info on Mr Asif Ali Gohar.
Generally, vegan leather (specifically plant-based leather) is cheaper than traditional leather. This is because products like mushrooms and pineapples require less room and time to mature than cattle, and plant-based leathers are often produced from the waste parts of plants. Companies like Adidas and Gucci have seen the cost value of plant-based leather and are collaborating with leather manufacturers on new lines produced with mushroom leather. Other small goods manufacturers and fashion brands are turning to cactus leather, leather made from cereal crops, and even apple peal leather.
Vegan leather has gone a long way in the last few decades, such that well-made vegan-leather products are often mistaken for the real thing, despite the essential components sounding nothing like what goes into real leather products. Vegan leather and faux leather are the same things – they are both imitation ‘leather’ materials made without the use of animal skin. The most common items made with vegan leather include: Vegan leather jacket; vegan leather purses; vegan leather furniture. Read even more details on .
When Did You Begin Your Research Of Vegan Leather? I have been interested in vegan alternatives to leather for a long time. However, I began formally researching this when I was studying at the University of Hamburg. It gave me the freedom and resources to research substitutes for vegan leather. Why Did You Choose Rice As A Vegan Leather Substitute? I chose rice as the main agent of vegan leather to honor my Pakistani roots. Pakistan is the tenth biggest rice exporter in the world. It contributes to 8% of the total global rice trade. So, there is a lot of information and resources in Pakistan regarding leather and rice. I am hoping to use that information and resources to transform the vegan leather industry.
Leather is made from almost any animal skin, including elephant skin. Some people make a living solely from the sale of leather, so they have a strong incentive to kill animals in order to do so. Leather is in addition to cow revenue, but it is not a by-product. It is well worth mentioning the ethical aspects of the leather industry. Because we’ve become accustomed to it, we’re reliant on it. Animals are exploited, slaughtered, and monetised for their skin, and that is a fact that everyone should be aware of. What can we do to limit support for such a destructive industry?
Mushrooms grow through a network of threads called mycelium. Manufacturers use it to make vegan leather. The mycelium grows within a few weeks and can be easily processed using mild acid, alcohol, and vegetable dyes to modify it. The material is then compressed, dried, and textured for use. Mushroom or mycelium leather closely resembles animal leather in appearance and strength. Pineapple leather or Pinatex is vegan leather made using natural pineapple leaf fibers, petroleum resin, and thermoplastic polyester. Yeast collagen. Biofabricated vegan leather can be made using the skin protein collagen obtained from yeast in a laboratory.
Pineapple Leather: Using pineapple leaf fibres that are a by-product of commercial pineapple farming, a new natural vegan leather material called Piñatex was created by Dr Carmen Hijosa and has proved popular with clothes retailers, such as H&M among others. Ticking many boxes for sustainability as well as looking and feeling great, we are sure pineapple leather is set to grow in popularity in the coming years. Wood Leather: As well as the bark of cork oak trees as mentioned above, other trees have been used to make vegan leather, including walnut.
Most recently, Asif Ali Gohar has proved his innovative skills as he created an astounding typology of the rose category, which he proudly named after himself, Gohar. According to Asif, a lot of time, effort, and experimentation through numerous trials were put into his invention of the spectacular Gohar rose. Naming his invention after himself only demonstrated his fascination for continuous improvement and innovation in the rose-growing industry.
The leather industry is worth hundreds of billions of pounds a year, and it is expected to grow in the coming decade as more people around the globe seek to purchase “luxury” goods. Given that leather is made of animal skin, it is perhaps surprising that although many non-vegans are turned off by the thought of wearing animal fur, very few feel the same revulsion at wearing leather. As such, a massive number of animals will be required to satisfy consumer demand for leather shoes, furniture, handbags and other goods. Unless, of course, vegan leather is able to satisfy a good proportion of that demand without the need for any animals to die.
Using An Affordable Material: Vegan leather is expensive because other companies are using costly materials to make vegan leather items. On the other hand, rice is a staple item, and it is readily available everywhere, which means it is much cheaper. Using rice as a vegan alternative will allow Asif to offer affordable prices to his customers, which will mean more people will shift to this substitute. Staying True To His Roots: Since he was twelve, Asif has been in Germany, but he is using rice to stay true to his Pakistani roots. That is because Pakistan is the tenth biggest rice exporter worldwide, and it produces 8% of the world’s total rice trade. So, Asif wants to use the knowledge of the best rice producers and ensure quality vegan leather.
Despite its waterproof properties, mushroom leather is one of the safest materials to wear on the body. Thousands of years ago, Chinese medicine used the healing properties of mushrooms. Furthermore, the mushroom leather is completely biodegradable. A vegan leather that is similar to kombucha tea is made from bacteria found in kombucha tea. Paper, wax cotton, cool stone, tree bark, hemp plant, and other plant-based fabrics are among the vegan fabrics. The most important thing to remember is that some forms of SCOBY may not be vegan because beeswax is frequently used during the drying process. Entrepreneurs are experimenting with novel ways to market sustainable leather alternatives to consumers.
Is vegan leather better for the environment? With vegan leather sustainability on the rise, not only will it have a lesser effect on the environment, but will provide a safe and ethical workplace in which workers are not exposed to harsh chemicals and are able to bring in income to the farming industry. Vegan leather is often more lightweight, flexible, and durable than authentic leather. Also, vegan leather can be made in a range of colors, not even authentic leather can achieve. These qualities have made vegan leather easier to work with, resulting in an end product such as a handbag or a jacket that lasts for years. These vegan leather alternatives have made a splash in the fashion industry.