What is Vegan Leather?

Vegan Leather - A Trending Cruelty-Free Fashion Movement

In today’s more environmentally-friendly world, we are seeing vegan leather appearing more often than ever in vegan bags, vegan handbags and more. However, while most people have seen or heard of vegan leather before, not everyone knows exactly what vegan leather is. Vegan leather is popping up everywhere from clothing and jackets to designer handbags and wallets—and everything in between. However, what is vegan leather?

Vegan leather is a great option for animal lovers and anyone who loves the look and feel of leather, but wants a cruelty-free option.

The more you know about vegan leather, the better as you will be ready to make smart vegan leather purchase, and known how to maintain and care for your vegan leather products after you buy them. Here’s what to know about all things vegan leather.

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What is Vegan Leather?

Vegan Leather Designer Jacket

So, what exactly is vegan leather?

The first thing to know about vegan leather is that it is not made from animals.

Vegan leather, also known as faux leather, is a great eco-friendly material that is perfect for anyone who love the soft buttery look and feel of leather without compromising the lives of animals.

Fake leather can be used to make virtually anything that real leather can be used for, and the types of vegan leather range from those that are almost identical in feel and smell to real leather—to “pleather” or the more plastic feeling faux leather material.

Like any other fabric or material, the quality of vegan leathers can vary greatly—and many time there is an accompanying price tag to go with it.

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How is it Made?

Vegan Leather Manufacturing Process

While vegan leather can be made from a variety of different materials, many times it is crafted from. However, there are many brands that use more sustainable and eco-friendly materials that make vegan leather even better for the environment. Depending on the brand, you may find vegan leather that is made of natural products like cork, apple peels or pineapple leaves. There are also many companies that use recycled plastics and repurpose them into quality, life-like vegan leather.

Vegan leather is made using a number of different materials that are bonded together, and while today more and more companies are using safe materials like cork, in the early days of vegan leather—PVC, also known as polyvinyl chloride was the most common option for vegan leather. The issue with PVC is that it releases dioxins which are quite toxic in confined places—and the process used to make this type of leather is quite harmful for the environment.

Try to avoid vegan leathers that are made with PVC.

Today, it is much more common to have PU leather. This type of faux leather isn’t as environmentally-friendly as some would like, but it is less harmful than PVC leathers and new techniques are constantly being developed to help reduce the amount of toxins released when making this type of leather.

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What Does Vegan Leather Smell Like?

Vegan Leather Smells

There are many people who love leather because they love the smell of real natural leather. Many of these people then understandable want to know what vegan leather smells like. This all depends on the vegan leather.

Many people state that vegan leathers that are primarily plastic, such as PVC or PU leather come with a harsh “chemical” smell. Many people describe this as smelling like fish. You will typically notice this smell the moment you pick up a vegan leather piece such as this and you will notice that it is very hard to get rid of this smell, even after airing the product out.

The stronger the smell on these more plastic-based vegan leathers, the more chemicals and toxins are likely in the product.

You will find that many of the higher-quality vegan leathers have no smell, while some of the more naturally-produced leathers may have a light wood-like odor, especially if they are made from cork.

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What Does Vegan Leather Look Like?

Vegan Leather Coin Purse

One of the biggest worries that people have about vegan leather over regular leather is that vegan leather doesn’t look like regular leather. So, what exactly does vegan leather look like?

Well, it all depends on the company and who is making the vegan leather. While some of the original vegan leather formulations looked pretty fake and plastic-like—today, designers are able to make more high-quality, natural-looking vegan leathers that are still very luxurious in person. These higher-quality vegan leathers can be found in products like handbags, wallets, jackets and will have that leathery look, while those made primarily from PVC or PU will be shinier and look more plastic.

You will typically notice the look between a quality vegan leather and a “pleather” right away.

The thing to remember about the look of vegan leather is that it isn’t a real hide, meaning it doesn’t have natural pores and cannot breathe like real leather does. Because of this it won’t form a patina or darker look as it ages. Vegan leather is synthetic and will not get that “worn in” look over time.

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Vegan Leather Versus the Real Thing

Vegan Handbags

So how does vegan leather compare to the real thing? Well, if you buy the right product it can have the same look and feel as real leather.

However, keep in mind that the name “vegan” doesn’t necessarily mean that the leather is good for the environment. While many vegan leather manufacturers are doing their part to improve their process and make it more eco-friendly, it doesn’t mean that it is necessarily good for the planet. The term “vegan” is simply used to ensure consumers that the particular product in question does not come from an animal—just like a vegan diet doesn’t include any animal by products.

While vegan leather can feel very similar to real leather, typically it is lighter weight than traditional leather and many companies find it makes it easier to work with. Of course, this also makes vegan leather typically much more budget-friendly from vegan bags to vegan pu leather jackets.

However, the biggest difference is that, many people find that vegan leather is often easier to clean and care for and is slightly more durable than the “real deal.”

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Maintaining Vegan Leather

Distressed Vegan Leather Tufted Coffee Table Ottoman

Once you make the decision to purchase vegan leather—you will want to make sure that you are able to maintain your vegan leather and keep it looking its best. In generally, most vegan leathers are not going to be as sturdy as real leather that is commonly found on furniture and jackets, especially if you plan on keeping that product for a long time. However, there are some benefits of vegan leather that make it more durable with your day-to-day use.

The most notable benefit is that most vegan leathers are waterproof. This is because they are made with plastic. They don’t require any additional products to help coat or protect the leather.

This not only makes vegan leather easier to care for, especially in shoes, coats and other items that may be exposed to the elements—but it also makes it easier to clean. While you typically need a special leather cleaner and treater for real leather items, with faux leather you can just wipe it down with a mild detergent or damp cloth.

However, while there are many instances where a faux leather will be easier to care for, there are also certain situations where you will need to be more careful with vegan leather than you would with traditional leather. This is especially true if you are using lower quality vegan leathers. When you have the leather outside in the sun, it can end up drying up much faster than real leather. This is because there are no natural oils or pores coming from the leather. This is why you will find that vegan leather cracks and dries out faster than real leather—especially if you have it out in the sun.

A vegan leather protectant is a great solution if you want to keep the material conditioned and looking its best. 

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Is Vegan Leather Good for the Environment?

Is Vegan Leather Good for the Environment?

So, while you may love the look and feel of vegan leather when you see it in person, you may also wonder if the decision to buy vegan leather is actually good for the environment or not. The good news is, choosing to buy vegan leather can actually have a positive impact on the environment as well—if you buy the right item.

Vegan leather or faux leather manufacturers have been under a great deal of scrutiny over the years, because the process to create faux leather products is often quite damaging to the planet. This is especially true when harsh plastics, toxins and chemicals are used to create these fake materials. These synthetic materials can release a lot of toxins, fossil fuels and gasses into the air and cause a great deal of pollution.

However, this doesn’t have to be the case anymore.

When shopping for vegan leather, make sure that you look for brands that are committed to doing their part to helping the planet. This means brands that operate out of CertiPUR-US Certified facilities, that adopt green manufacturing processes and those that use organic and natural materials like cork in the construction of their leathers. This is the best way to make sure that you aren’t just protecting animals with your purchase, but that you are protecting the whole planet as well.

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Complete the Look With Quality Vegan Leather Styles For Any Season

Next time you are out shopping for new clothes, vegan bags, vegan handbags or accessories, make sure to consider all of the vegan leather options out there. Now that you know what is vegan leather, you can make a better decision. This material looks, feels and smells like the real thing—only it doesn’t come at the same cost that real leather does, making this a material you can really feel good about buying.

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Shana Thompson is a full time professional writer and editor. Shana has worked extensively in the fields of content marketing, on-page and off-page SEO (guest posts, backlink acquisition), and creative writing. As an experienced pro content writer, Shana has worked on several magazines, publishing companies and marketing agencies. Many recent projects have included everything from nutrition and health services, where a lot of research and citations were needed, to writing about health, sustainable, eco-friendly products.

Follow Shana at Shana Thompson

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