From January 15th to 17th, a trade fair for sustainable fashion took place at Kraftwerk Berlin. NEONYT replaced the previous fairs Ethical Fashion Show Berlin and Greenshowroom to create a global hub for fashion, sustainability and innovation. We took a look around NEONYT and selected three labels which are breaking new vegan ground with their fashion.
Luxury handbags from HUMOUR.NOIR
Humour.noir’s luxurious bags are made from vegan materials such as piñatex, cork, recycled paper, tree bark and canvas. Specially developed processes give these surfaces a unique appearance. The cork, for example, has a shiny coating similar to patent leather. A silver clutch is made from pineapple leaf fibres, and Cartina is used for the satchel models. Cartina is a material made of recycled paper which is durable, refined and supple, offering a real technical and aesthetic alternative to leather. The thread used for the seams is made from recycled PET bottles. Each humour.noir® handbag is also equipped with 24-carat gold-plated accessories such as buckles and chains. Some models have a spiral handle made of Murano glass and Swarovski® crystals.
Thanks to the humour.noir bags, vegan handbags are finally represented in the luxury segment. We are impressed by their uncompromising sustainability and bold use of animal-free materials.
Denim suits from THE BLUE SUIT
The Blue Suit is aimed at businesswomen who want to dress sustainably and chicly. The suits and business dresses are made of GOTS certified denim, and coloured blue with natural dyes. Finding vegan suits is still a challenge, as suits are often made of wool or a wool blend. The Blue Suit is pursuing a new approach by using jeans for trouser suits, and is implementing the denim trend in business fashion. We believe the collections offer a real alternative to conventional business clothing. The label also enables vegan women in management positions to dress stylishly and sustainably.
Cork bags from ARTELUSA
Artelusa is already an established Portuguese brand, and this is not the first time it has exhibited at the Berlin Fashion Week. Its vegan cork accessories carry the Peta label. Artelusa uses the material in a variety of ways and manufactures shoes, hats and belts, as well as a wide selection of bags.
The selection of vegan clothing at NEONYT was impressive, even though there were only a few brands which were completely vegan. But there is a clear trend towards new plant-based materials which are sustainable in their production and processing. We are eager to see more of this at the next NEONYT.
This article comes from Mirjam Walser, co-founder of Faloa – the online shop for vegan, sustainable and fair fashion.
(Launch February 2019)