This Vegan Snakeskin Bag Is Made From Brewery Waste

BEEN London just unveiled a vegan snakeskin-style bag made entirely with upcycled grains from local breweries and distilleries.

The UK accessories brand collaborated with fellow Londoners Arda Biomaterials and breweries from Bermondsey’s Beer Mile to develop an animal and plastic-free snakeskin. BEEN has used this to create a vegan version of its best-selling “Millais” shoulder bag.

The bag is the first debut of Arda’s “New Grain” leather which the plant-based materials start-up produces using brewers’ spent grain (BSG). New Grain can then be customized with various “finishes, patterns, and colors,” as seen with the vegan snakeskin.

According to Arda, New Grain creates 97 percent fewer CO2e emissions compared to traditional leather, as well as eliminating toxic tanning processes entirely. The company received a grant of GBP £800,000 from Innovate UK to support New Grain’s development.

The handbag is a showcase piece and is not currently available on the market.

BEEN London aims to ‘lead the charge’ in sustainable fashion

Photo shows several pieces of Arda Biomaterials' New Grain vegan leather — Arda Biomaterials / BEEN London Arda’s New Grain is highly versatile, making it a sustainable replacement for many animal-derived skins and leathers

According to Arda, every 100 liters of beer produces 20kg of BSG. This waste grain is rich in protein and fiber, making it ripe for upcycling into versatile materials like New Grain, along with recently publicized egg replacers and plant-based proteins.

Across all of its research and development, the company says it emphasizes plants that are beneficial for biodiversity and ingredients sourced from underutilized waste streams. It also avoids plastics, toxic chemicals, and animal products in the pursuit of optimal sustainability.

“Collaborating with Arda has been a fantastic experience,” BEEN London founder Genia Mineeva told Fashion United. “This partnership allows us to pioneer new materials and lead the charge in circular design and sustainable fashion.”

Mineeva’s company is also built upon principles of waste reduction and features a wide variety of sustainable materials like Piñatex, appleskin, regenerated nylon, recycled cotton, and recycled polyester. Even the original leather version of the Millais was made using “tannery offcuts and trimmings” which would otherwise be wasted by the fashion industry.

“As a brand making premium products entirely from materials that would otherwise be discarded, we’re really excited about the possibilities of Arda’s innovation,” added Mineeva. “The New Grain handbag is just the beginning of what we can achieve together.”

This article was updated on August 8, 2024. A previous version of this article stated that the bag was available to buy, but the bag is actually just a showcase piece at present.