So you've heard of mushroom leather and pineapple leather, but did you know that apple leather is also a thing? And – more importantly – that Pamela Anderson is teaming up with Ashoka Paris, a PETA-approved vegan brand, to launch a collection of apple leather handbags? Consider our minds well and truly blown.
As if that wasn't exciting enough, PETA UK is holding a giveaway to mark the release of the collection, meaning you could win a free Pamela shopping bag! Exciting stuff.
According to PETA, the bags are available in “black, nude, terracotta, and red” and feature “brushed, golden clasps and a pop art–style lining, which is made from recycled plastic bottles and carries a motif of Pamela’s stylised lips as well as her slogan ‘RÉSISTE!’”
But – apart from the obvious – what is apple leather actually made from? Well, using the cores and skins discarded from the industrial food industry, apples are puréed, spread on a solid sheet and dehydrated until almost all of the moisture has been removed. This purée turns into a flexible, leathery sheet that is then combined with Polyurethane to create vegan leather.
Pamela and Ashoka aren't the only ones using apple leather. Italian footwear brand Womsh is working with northern Italian apple Leather company Fruman to create a range of vegan footwear that is both ethical and sartorially on-point. Who knew?!
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Much like the current big-hitters on the trainer circuit, there are plimsoll-style pairs with small platforms as well as chunkier, 'dad' style trainers with punchy coloured details.
According to the company's manifesto, they "believe that fashion and sustainability must co-exist."
They believe "in change that leads to a lie more in harmony with nature" and pose that “the same act repeated can bring unexpected results.”
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Slightly pricier than the average kick, they ring in at around £170 a pair. But when you consider the alternative – paying with your future rather than your cash – it's tempting.
In just five years, Womsh created and preserved 12,000m² of forest (that's equal to 46 tennis courts), offset 74 tonnes of carbon dioxide emission and used almost 100% renewable energy. In 2018 alone they recycled 1,500 pairs of shoes.
Just imagine the impact if we all got on board? And if Pamela Anderson approves, so do we.
