Panel Discussion: Where Are We Now? Market Opportunities for Bio-based Alternatives to Fur, Leather and Wool (Recording)

On 23 April 2026, as part of Fashion Revolution Week 2026, we co-hosted a collaborative panel with Fashion Revolution Polska examining the current state of bio-based alternative materials — and what it will take to move beyond outdated perceptions of vegan fashion.

The discussion brought together key stakeholders across the fashion system, from material innovators, brands and designers to researchers and advocates. Together, we explored the practical realities of scaling next-generation materials, and the structural and perceptual shifts required for wider industry adoption. The conversation moved across both supply and demand dynamics, unpacking how technological development, market readiness, and evolving consumer values intersect today.

Key takeaways included:

• Bio-based, plastic-free materials are already addressing multiple challenges simultaneously — including environmental impact, waste reduction, and animal welfare.
• Many next-generation materials are no longer experimental; they are being actively developed, refined, and optimised for scalability across both luxury and mainstream markets.
• Beyond performance, these materials are opening up new and often unexpected creative possibilities for designers, particularly in terms of form, texture, and narrative.
• The most persistent barriers to adoption are no longer technological, but perceptual and structural — embedded in industry norms, sourcing systems, and market expectations.

Perhaps most importantly, the discussion made clear that scaling bio-based materials will not be achieved through innovation alone. It requires deeper collaboration with the mainstream fashion industry itself — not operating alongside it, but within it.

Speakers:

Viviane Paraschiv — multi-hyphenate entrepreneur and COO at BioFluff, scaling next-generation plant-based materials from innovation into industrial and commercial reality, with a focus on bridging materials science, creative industries, and business.

Dr Rachel Lamarche-Beauchesne — Senior Lecturer in Fashion Marketing and Enterprise at Torrens University, researcher on fashion, sustainability and values-driven consumption, and founder of vegan micro-brand Les Plantes.

Marta Gos — Creative Director and Marketing Lead at Nutico™, working at the intersection of creative strategy and fashion innovation.

Marta Sieradzka — founder of Estimon and bio-based materials specialist, with a focus on material transparency, experimentation, and education in fashion systems. She is also a lecturer at MSKPU (Międzynarodowa Szkoła Kostiumografii i Projektowania Ubioru, International School of Costume and Fashion Design).

Bel Jacobs — co-founder of Fashion Act Now and Islington Climate Centre, and founder of The Empathy Project, working at the intersection of climate, animal advocacy, and fashion systems change.

Marija Čanji — fashion designer and founder of MARIA CHANY, known for avant-garde constructions and futuristic forms exploring fashion as an artistic and questioning practice.

Aleksandra Tasić — biophilic interior designer and founder of Botany Codes, working with agricultural residues and bio-based materials to create objects and spatial environments that engage directly with material origins and processes.

Hosted by: Agnieszka Wąsowska-Telęga (Fashion Revolution Poland), Catherine Nhung and Kaja Nidecka (Vegan Fashion Repository).

The full recording is available on YouTube.