Mercer Amsterdam is to launch vegan leather sneakers made from Italian wine waste as part of its upcoming Spring Summer ’21 collection.
Dubbed the ‘W3RD Wine Pack’ – the sneaker range also features mesh made from recycled PET bottles and an algae-based EVA sole
Vegea
The company has collaborated with Vegea – who recently partnered with Swiss fashion giant H&M to launch a range of handbags and shoes.
Vegea creates a ‘soft’ and recyclable vegan leather using the skins, stalks, and seeds of grapes left over from the winemaking process.
‘A game-changer’
In a statement sent to Plant Based News, Founder of the fashion brand Pim Mercer said: “For me, it is important for us to try and change the high-end sneaker industry- it doesn’t need to be all-leather all the time.
“The best experience for me is when someone says ‘I love this sneaker’ without knowing the backstory. This goes to show that sustainable, vegan, and plant-based footwear can be as nice and luxurious as real leather – and that is a game-changer in a mostly all-leather and plastic industry.”
The sneakers will debut in December 2020 – with an estimated retail price of €250 ($290).