Persiskin, a Valencian company developing innovative textiles using raw plant materials, has launched a vegan leather made from leftover persimmons, providing an eco-friendly alternative to traditional leather and reducing food waste.
“We are located in the cradle of persimmon production in Europe. So we can affirm by having extensive knowledge about this fruit, its cultivation, and its great capabilities that it is an ideal raw material for producing this new vegan leather,” states the company.
Persiskin’s persimmon leather results from a €2 million investment initiative launched by la Comunidad Valencia (autonomous community of Spain) and the participation of the textile industry research association AITEX to provide an outlet for the region’s surplus persimmon production, which is around 500 million kg annually.
Persimmon leather on demand
According to the company, the persimmon leather took three years to develop in the Science Park of the University of Valencia. A multidisciplinary team worked on R&D to find the ideal alternative to replace traditional leather and its synthetic aspects. The final fruit-derived leather contains 85% of natural materials, which varies depending on the finishing applications given for the textile’s performance.
To showcase its appeal and characteristics, Persiskin has already developed a catalogue with a series of prototypes, which will produce on demand while it moves toward commercially viable industrialization.
Next-gen materials
Persiskin is already attending fairs and creating synergies to capitalise on the region’s sustainability, one of its key goals. The Spanish innovator attended the textile exhibition fair in Paris, Première Vision, to present its leather, announcing a future collaboration with Valencian designer Hortensia Maeso to create a vegan leather collection.
The company has also joined Recovo, a marketplace that monetises textile wastes and promotes next-gen materials, a turning point in its international promotion strategy.
“In the last five years, the persimmon crop has undergone an exponential evolution, causing production to increase at exorbitant levels,” Jaime Sanfelix, executive director of Persiskin, explained to Fashion United.
“From this production, currently more than 50 percent are not marketed surpluses. Our vegan textile that substitutes animal and synthetic leather can solve the surplus of persimmon from the Valencian fields,” he added.
