Gucci launches its first range of vegan shoes made from wood pulp

Iconic fashion brand Gucci is marking its 100th anniversary year with the release of its first-ever range of vegan shoes.

Gucci’s new vegan shoe range is comprised of three styles: The Gucci Basket, Gucci New Ace, and Gucci Rhyton.

If you want to get your hands (or feet!) on the new designs, they are available to purchase in stores and online from today.

But as you may expect, Gucci’s new vegan shoes all come with a high-end price tag too. Aimed at the luxury market, the animal-free sneakers will retail between $702 and $940.

Demetra

In order to create its new line of stylish and sustainable shoes, Gucci has developed its very own vegan leather alternative called Demetra. Just like animal leather, Gucci’s vegan leather is tanned in the same fashion to make it durable.

Inspired by the Greek goddess of harvest Demeter, the innovative new material is made from an impressive 77 per cent plant-based raw materials, according to Business of Fashion.

Although the shoes still feature some synthetic materials, Gucci is aiming to find more sustainable options to replace them with.

Demetra is a leather-like material made up of viscose along with wood pulp compounds and recycled steel. To make sure the shoes are as eco-friendly as possible, Gucci has sourced the wood pulp from sustainably managed forests.

Not only that, but the sneakers also contain biobased polyurethane sourced from wheat and corn.

Gucci has created the new shoes as part of its ambitious plan to make the fashion industry more sustainable by introducing new eco-friendly bio-based materials.

In addition to its vegan shoe line, Gucci is hoping to patent and trademark its Demetra leather so that it can be licenced for use by other brands owned by its parent company Kering.

Furthermore, as Kering owns other fashion giants such as Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga and Saint Laurent, Demetra could become one of fashion’s hottest new trends.

But Gucci won’t just be using Demetra to create vegan shoes. In fact, the new material is planned for us across Gucci’s portfolio of fashion accessories, including its handbags and clothing.

Moreover, scraps of the vegan leather alternative will not go to waste as they will be processed and repurposed under the Gucci-Up program which aims to create a circular economy.

‘Create for an evolving future’

Speaking about the brand’s decision to use sustainable materials, Gucci’s CEO and president, Marco Bizzarri, told Women’s Wear Daily that the company wanted to find a material that lived up to the quality consumers expect from the brand.

According to Bizzari, “Demetra is a new category of material that encapsulates Gucci’s quality and aesthetic standards with our desire to innovate, leveraging our traditional skills and know-how to create for an evolving future.”

Are you a fan of vegan footwear?

Here’s everything you need to know about vegan shoes.