While creating a more sustainable fashion industry requires the end of fast-fashion as we know it, it will also open the door to new opportunities in other spaces. There is perhaps no better example of this than the alternative materials market, which is set to become a $2.2 billion industry by 2026, representing 3% of the global wholesale materials market.

So far, the next-gen material market has been dominated by leather alternatives, largely due to the environmentally costly state of animal production. In fact, of the 74 next-gen material companies (some of which create more than one product), 49 create alternative leather. This can range from plant-based alternatives such as mushroom leather, to lab-grown technology to grow real animal materials directly from cells.

With the fashion industry predicted to be responsible for a quarter of the earth’s climate budget by 2050, if it continues it’s projected growth, it’s clear that alt-materials that produce less Co2 and decompose effectively are urgently needed not only in the leather industry but across the board. Compared to synthetic fibres which dominate the industry and require fossil fuels to be made, alternative materials could lead the way to fashion’s more sustainable future. That’s why innovative designers and scientists are turning to food waste, natural sources, and raw materials in an effort to produce the same quality and wearability as the materials we currently rely on. 

Earlier this month, CFS hosted a Material Innovation seminar on Clubhouse, to speak to some of the companies and people leading the way in alt-materials. We were joined by Bubu Ogisi, Creative Director and Designer at IAMISIGO, Michalyn Andrews, CEO & Co-founder of Provenance Bio, Harald Cavalli-Björkman, Chief Marketing Officer at Renewcell, and Elissa Brunato, Designer and Founder at Radiant Matter. All thought leaders in the space, here are the key takeaways.

There's Already Massive Demand From the Industry and Consumers

“We're feeling on the sales side a massive demand from the industry, particularly from the brands but also from the value chain players along the full value chain, in trying to find viable industry-scale materials to radically reduce impact in response to consumer sentiment.” Harald Cavalli-Björkman

“Everyone is becoming much more conscious of their environment, especially here in Africa, and becoming more aware of what is around them in terms of what they can use but also how they can also use it to create equally innovative ways or these different materials that are at our disposal.” Bubu Ogisi

Creating Innovative Materials Has Been Led by BIPOC Creatives Around the World

“We started going to different parts of different remote villages because you’ll find a lot of remote places are actually the ones that are really taking this act of sustainability and creating materials or fabrics or textiles out of nothing. So we started by just going to different parts of the continent and then creating this unit of different ideas and adding to these ancient techniques while also trying to find new ways to sort of evolve these ancestral techniques by creating newer ways that textiles or the sustainable materials can be used.” Bubu Ogisi

Affordable Pricing and High Quality Are Integral to the Future Success of Alternative Materials

“The goal is that we can also undercut the price point that is currently being offered right now for sequins and then also give a higher performance in terms of color and sparkle and the look and aesthetics of the product.” Elissa Brunato

Consumers Need Clear Communication About New Innovations

“We're very much focused on the communications of the impact of our technology because we make the building block of leather, which is collagen, which is the most abundant protein in the animal kingdom. We really need to focus on the story because we work on the hard science so that we can get there and it’s related to many different industries, including human therapeutics, to food, to fashion.” Michalyn Andrews

However, It’s Important to Be Wary of Greenwashing

“What we've been thinking about a bit is how sustainable materials so-called sustainable materials have been marketed for a while now with bar and pie charts and various figures on Co2 and liters of water and things like that at the four at the very forefront. You're asking for the consumer to compare these figures, which are very difficult, across different products and different materials and you’re placing all the responsibility on the consumer to make an informed decision. That’s why we try to lead with the emotion at the forefront... It's beautiful, and it looks nice on you and it's durable, and it works for the purposes that you wanted. And would you like more data? Yeah, of course we have that too.” Harald Cavalli-Björkman