On March 18, the Swedish brand will launch a collection dedicated to cutting-edge textiles, including among others the new nopal alter-leather from the Mexican company Adriano Di Marti.

By Ludmilla Intravaia

In this article :

• The H&M Science Story collection

• Fulgar's Evo bio-sourced yarn

• Adriano Di Marti's Desserto cactus alter-leather

• Vegan and sustainable alter-leathers at H&M

• Alternatives to animal leather and petro-sourced materials

• H&M's Innovation Stories project

There was the pineapple alter-leather. Then grape. It is now the turn of the cactus alter-leather to do the honors of an H&M collection, on the occasion of a drop, unveiled two days ago by the Swedish company. Entitled Science Story, this collection, part of the sustainable approach of the fast fashion brand “pays tribute to the brilliant minds, thinkers, researchers and scientists, behind fabrication of the future”, as well as to cutting-edge textiles developed by their care, reports the press release of the brand. The Science Story capsule incorporates innovative materials, such as the Evo yarn from the Italian company Fulgar.

Evo is a bio-sourced material made from castor oil, a vegetable oil pressed from castor seeds of Ricinus, a plant of tropical origin. Find out more in the video presentation below.

Also present in the Science Story collection, the cactus alter-leather (images below : ©H&M).

This innovative material was recently developed by two Mexican entrepreneurs, Adrián López Velarde and Marte Cázarez, founders in 2019 of the company Adriano Di Marti. 

Adriano Di Marti markets the alter-leather of nopal, a cactus very common in Mexico, from where it was imported under the name of prickly pear. 

Named Desserto by its inventors, this material was researched for two years before being showcased to fashion professionals in Milan, in October 2019. 

The Desserto is made from the mature leaves of the cacti cultivated by the two entrepreneurs on their ranch in Mexico City. The harvest does not damage the cactus itself which, moreover, grows without the use of herbicides or pesticides and without the need for an irrigation system, which saves water. Discover the Desserto sustainable vegan alter-leather project, in the presentation video below.

Below, the pieces from the Science Story collection (images : ©H&M).

Certain items of the Science Story collection are adorned with oversized labels explaining the eco-responsible approach implemented for their manufacture (images : ©H&M).

It’s not the first time that H&M use vegan and eco-responsible alter-leather. The brand previously used pineapple alter-leather Piñatex from Ananas Anam for boots and a jacket from the spring 2019 collection of its sustainable fashion line Conscious Exclusive.

The Vegea grape alter-leather was featured in a pair of shoes and a bag in the Spring 2020 Conscious Exclusive collection. Vegea was also honored in 2017 with the Global Change Award from the H&M Foundation, which promotes sustainable innovation.

Alter-cork leather such as Cork Skin from the Portuguese brand Pelcor, mushroom alter-leather Muskin and apple alter-leather Pellemela from the two Italian companies Grado Zero and Frumat, but also cereals, banana fibers or coffee grounds…, a multitude of innovative materials now exist on the market. Each with its specific properties of resistance, touch, appearance and flexibility. And each at various levels of development and commercialization.

So many promising alternatives to leather of animal origin and petro-sourced materials, disastrous for the environment and generating suffering for the sentient beings of the planet, which now appear to be an essential step in the transformation of brands towards a more sustainable and ethical fashion. For instance, Desserto benefits from the Peta-Approved Vegan label which certifies that a product is made without resorting to animal exploitation (for more information, read this interview of Le Boudoir Numérique on the fight for the protection of animals of the PETA association or sign its latest petition against the use of crocodile leather at Hermès, here).

The Science story capsule collection is the first drop in a larger H&M project, Innovation Stories, dedicated to “celebrating forward-thinking sustainability processes”. A range of collections will follow tthroughout 2021.

* The Science Story collection will be available online, from 18 March 2021. More info on H&M website. 

* Desserto website is here. Fulgar website is there. 

* More info on the fight against animal exploitation in fashion on PETA website.

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* Continue reading on materials innovation in fashion with these Boudoir Numérique articles:

- Paris Fashion Week Haute Couture SS21 - Iris van Herpen’s dress in recycled plastic by Parley for the Oceans

- Paris Haute Couture Week SS 2021 – Lauren Wasser, muse of Yuima Nakazato X Spiber biofabrication

- Mylo by Bolt Threads - Adidas will use mycelium alter leather to create footwear

- H&M's Bottle2fashion project : a kidswear collection with recycled polyester

- Green Machine and Looop, the recycling machines of H&M with HKRITA

- Mickey Mouse T-shirts in recycled plastic

- Rihanna awarded by PETA for her Fenty faux leather collection

- "Our apple leather sneakers are another step towards sustainable and circular fashion"

- PETA - "Technology can help end the exploitation of animals for fashion"

- "Disrupt leather industry with a respectful and innovative alternative"

- "Biofabrication promotes eco-responsible fashion"