Vegetable Tanned Vs Vegan Leather

Vegetable tanned leather and vegan leather are both terms which are used quite a lot in the leather industry. One could very easily presume that the two terms are interchangeable, however this couldn't be further from the truth. This article will explain the differences.

What is Vegan Leather?

Vegan leather is as its named, leather which is created without harm to animals. This is most commonly known as faux leather with the most common form being PU leather. Polyurethane is a type of plastic which is given a leather like appearance applied to a cotton base for strength.

However, as the world moves to a more sustainable place, more and more sources of vegan leather are being found. Mycelum leather is probably the front runner at the moment having been used by large brands such as Hermes and Adidas. It is created from the web like root structure of mushrooms.

Fruit leather is another form of vegan leather. Several firms are experimenting with apple, mangoes and grape skins to produce a material with similar qualities to cow leather. 

What is Vegetable Tanned Leather?

Vegetable tanned leather is in fact real leather, whether that be from a cow, horse, camel or any other animal. The key to vegetable tanned leather is in the tanning process. This uses tree bark, leaves and other natural sources to colour the leather. We have a few collection made completely from vegetable tanned leather. Such as the Prague and Milan collections. You can also check out our article on vegetable tanned leather to learn more.