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Put your best foot forward with Dutch footwear brand Mercer Amsterdam’s eco-friendly vegan trainers made from pineapple leather.
Dutch footwear brand Mercer Amsterdam has introduced its first ever eco-friendly vegan sneaker made using sustainable pineapple leather.
The brand has teamed up with pineapple leather experts Piñatex to use its cruelty-free and sustainably sourced leather alternative which has become increasingly popular in recent years thanks to the growing demand for eco-friendly, animal-free clothing from consumers.
Mercer Amsterdam explains the eco-credentials of the fruit-based material on its website, stating: “Pinatex is made from the fibre from the leaves of the pineapple plant. These leaves are discarded from the pineapple harvest, so the raw material requires no additional environmental resources to produce. Additionally, the tanning of Piñatex® consumes low water use and low production waste, containing no harmful chemicals or animal products.”
According to the brand, they experimented with a range of innovative materials to find the perfect eco-friendly animal-free material to create the trainers.
Founder Pim Dresen explained: “We tried for a long time, we tested mango and strawberry skin, but it did not go well. Then we discovered Piñatex, which offered an amazing material ready for use and tested. In addition, we love pineapples.”
No one likes sweaty feet, and the brand has tried to minimise the risk by lining the trainers with a microfiber textile which gives the sensation of real leather but is, in fact, a microfiber that is 100% breathable, giving total dryness with thermal control for optimal comfort.
Vegan trainers
Last year, fashion brand Hugo Boss entered the world of ethical fashion with the release of a new vegan range of eco-friendly sneakers made from pineapple leather.
Designers are not just using pineapple leather in their designs, as German brand nat-2 has created a pair of sustainable vegan sneakers made of a soft, suede-like mushroom leather that’s also antiseptic and anti-bacterial.
Sports brand Reebok has also experimented with ethical and sustainable fashion with the launch of a pair of fashionable vegan sneakers made from corn and cotton.
The trainers, priced at €250, are available to pre-order online until 31 March when they will be available.
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Image credit: Mercer Amsterdam
