Vegan Materials Becoming Trendy

Why are vegan materials becoming more trendy?

More and more people are deciding they don’t want animal products in their fashion. It can be for various reasons: moral, environmental, or cost, but vegan alternatives are really gaining popularity. They are opting for natural, plant-based alternatives for their shoes and handbags. These products might seem new and stylish, but they’ve actually been around for years and use traditional crafting techniques. 

Why are people going vegan?

Humans have relied on animals for food and clothing for tens of thousands of years, but in our modern world the original reasons no longer apply. Because there is better access to food and clothing alternatives, people are choosing to give up relying on animals for food. Leading a plant-based lifestyle is arguably better for the environment, better for your health, and better for your wallet. 

As part of a vegan lifestyle, you can’t use animal products for your clothing or accessories either. As being vegan has become more popular, so have plant-based materials. They’ve even caught the eye of massive fashion labels, such as Gucci. Vegan materials are incredibly versatile, and can be made into a wide variety of styles. As they’ve gained popularity, designers have begun to experiment with their shape and form, and loads of interesting new products have been created. 

What are the most popular vegan materials?

Traditionally, shoes and bags have been made out of largely the same material: leather. Felt or wool is also popular for bags, especially for bohemian style accessories. In Western society, these were the most versatile and wide available products for making durable clothing and accessories. However, people have recently started waking up to the environmental impact of raising all of these animals, and so have turned to plants instead. 

Dyed sheep wool curly locks   www.urbanexposure.com   Gayle Foshee’ Designer

The techniques for creating clothes, bags, and shoes out of natural materials has existed for thousands of years in countries like India, China, and the Philippines. They didn’t come to rely as heavily on animals as Western countries did. So all of these trendy new plant-based accessories on the market are largely drawing on those techniques in their construction. Here are some of the most popular vegan materials currently being used.

Bamboo

Bamboo has been used as a building material across the world for thousands of years. It’s a grass, and is one of the fastest growing plants ever observed. It can grow up to 36 inches in a single day! It’s very lightweight, flexible, and durable, and best of all it’s biodegradable. Young bamboo shoots can even be eaten, and the fibers can be broken down and woven into cloth. As a cloth, it’s naturally antiseptic, odor eliminating, and breathable. 

It also makes the perfect vegan material for handbags. It can be woven into intricate patterns, or layered into beautiful designs. Bamboo is very easy to paint and decorate, so bags can be found in any color you want. There are a wide variety of styles of bamboo handbag, but each one adds a flare of bohemian hippy-chic to your style. They’re light, durable, and perfect for summer. 

Rattan

Rattan is another incredibly versatile natural material, and is a climbing palm. It’s typically found in Europe, Asia, and Africa. It’s also been used as a building material for thousands of years, and is still popular to this day. It’s primarily used for outdoor furniture because it’s strong and weather resistant. It’s also very durable, bendy, and resistant to snapping. This makes it an ideal material for weaving, and it’s also suitable for use as sticks with percussion instruments. 

Rattan handbags aren’t a new idea, although they had declined in popularity. During the 20^th century, synthetic and leather were the most popular choices. However now natural is making a comeback, rattan has seen a resurgence. Rattan is best when it’s woven, and it’s possible to create a wide variety of shapes and patterns. It’s another great choice for that touch of bohemian style, and is a great choice for small handbags, purses, and larger shopping bags. 

Palm leaf

Palm leaves have all the right qualities for weaving, as they are long, flexible, durable, and natural. They also grow incredibly fast and are very sustainable. Just like bamboo, palm leaves have been used for thousands of years, even showing up in the Bible, the Quran, and many other sources. Palm leaves are still used by many island communities as a sustainable building material. Their useful properties also make them a great vegan material for bags. 

Palm leaves can easily be dyed, and so palm leaf handbags can come in a wide range of colors. They can be weaved into different patterns and sizes, and can be turned into almost any style of bag imaginable. They also look great when combined with other materials, such as bamboo. Palm leaf bags are great as shopping bags, but also make handy and function handbags too. You can get bags made from either large palm leaves with a wide weave, or small palm leaves that are woven quite tightly.

What are the benefits of using vegan materials?

In the last few years many countries have realized we’re not living sustainably, particularly in our use of single-life products. While this usually refers to coffee cups or plastic bottles, the same logic applies to animal-based clothing and accessories. There’s not much you can do with an old leather handbag, and although the materials can theoretically be reused, this isn’t a widely followed practice. 

Luckily, plant-based materials are much better for the environment. Not only are they cheaper to grow, they’re easier to work with, and you don’t have to worry about what happens to them when you’re done. Plant-based materials will degrade in a matter of years, as opposed to the centuries it would take for a synthetic or treated product to break down.

Vegan materials have been used by communities for thousands of years, but are now gaining popularity worldwide as a sustainable alternative. Choosing a plant-based bag is not only great for your style, it’s great for the planet too.