Best Vegan Leather Pieces at the AW25/26 Fashion Month

Every fashion month, we pick the best vegan and plant-based leather pieces as designers showcase their latest collections across Copenhagen, Berlin, New York, London, Milan, and Paris.

With the ongoing and often heated debate between the ones who remain loyal to animal leather, and those increasingly repelled by both the idea and practice of wearing another creature’s skin, it is only thrilling to see more designers embracing vegan (PU) and plant-based leather alternatives made from food and beverage industry waste.

In Copenhagen, before the formal greenwashing complaint was filed, both Forza Collective and OpéraSPORT showcased statement vegan leather pieces, which by now have become quite the signature move for both brands, season after season.

Of all the fashion weeks, however, Berlin presented the most impressive showcase of vegan leather. Rebekka Ruétz‘s Autumn-Winter 25/26 collection made a strong case for the pattern-making possibilities that vegan leather offers, providing much needed inspiration and validation for any designer who would doubt whether it can work as effective as animal leather. Maximilian Gedra took tailoring to the next level, crafting jackets and overcoats that did full justice to the name of the collection – ‘Stalactite’.

Leather, whether animal or vegan, is always at its best when it plays solo. If Kilian Kerner‘s collection told a story of ‘all shades of hate’ in the Internet (‘Shitstorm’), then the pink vegan leather looks were undoubtedly where the plot thickened, and left a mark on the reader. Meanwhile, Maria Chany‘s ‘Elysium’ was a promise of a worthy sanctuary for those who seek meaning and authenticity —an ode to a mindful approach to sourcing and recycling materials locally. Both rubber tyres and plant-based leather alternatives were sourced and crafted within kilometres of Belgrade, where Chany is based. As fashion brands’ sustainability claims face increasing scrutiny for accountability and transparency, the efforts of designers like Chany to repurpose locally as much as possible resonate deeply with those who value craftsmanship as much as genuine human connection—and honesty.

In New York, Anne-Kirstin Schollenberger (Anne Schollenberger) showcased her latest accessories collection with Flying Solo—the largest platform for independent designers in the US and Europe. With Schollenberger’s contemporary take on classic accessory staples—combined with her exclusive use of cactus and olive leather for every single piece—it is only fitting to say that vegan fashion was proudly represented on the NYFW runway.

Perhaps the truest expression of authenticity in fashion is when it allows everyone—introverts and extroverts alike—to wear their heart on their sleeve, quite literally. In London, Ray Chu presented a collection that translated personal strength and resilience into an array of forms and silhouettes, developed using 3D printing and new-gen materials, including those made from chestnut and cacao waste.

Amidst the struggle to redefine fashion – caught between outdated luxury paradigms, the aggressive expansion of ultra fast fashion, and a mounting sustainability crisis, it is both thrilling and reassuring to be able to report on designers whose work draws on personal experiences to create fashion that is as inspiring as it is ethical.

For the best vegan leather pieces at the spring-summer 2025 fashion month, jump over here.