The Material Innovation Initiative is a think tank dedicated to advancing research and knowledge-sharing aimed at expediting the development of environmentally friendly and animal-free materials across various industries, including fashion, automotive, and home goods. Additionally, the think tank organizes events and releases reports on alternative materials such as those replacing leather, fur, exotic skins, and textiles primarily derived from petrochemicals.
Several companies have actively worked on creating products using recycled plastics, including those harvested from oceans, and have experimented with materials like fungal mycelium. Numerous studies explore the potential of algae, jellyfish, and dormant bacterial cultures. However, many of these materials are still in the experimental stage or remain expensive to produce, limiting accessibility for most consumers.
While anticipating progress in research, it would be a good idea for the European Union to consider the prohibition of specific materials and textiles. In October, the EU banned microplastics, including loose glitter and products containing certain microbeads and synthetic polymer particles, due to their environmental impact.
The EU should broaden its focus to include the potential ban on polyurethane-coated garments and on the promotion of more environmentally safe alternatives. The terms "faux leather," "pleather," or "vegan leather" used by companies can be confusing and contribute to greenwashing, all of them indicate indeed fossil fuel-based materials that can have an impact on the environment and on the health of the wearer, as evidenced by the rapid deterioration observed in certain cases.
After extensive wear, polyurethane-coated garments, often exhibit surface scratching, cracking, and peeling from the support fabric. However, in specific instances highlighted in this chapter of our "Fashion Forensics" series, garments, such as a long skirt by Sisley (Exhibit A) and an unlabeled cropped top (Exhibit B) purchased from a market stall, deteriorated rapidly, leaving behind a hazardous residue resembling dust. This emphasizes the urgent need for scrutiny and potential regulatory measures regarding such materials.
Exhibit A
Description: Exhibit A refers to a polyurethane coated ankle-length full circle skirt by Sisley (Exhibit A)
Fit: The full circle skirt has a comfortable fit, it is not tight, and sits comfortably around the waist. It is rather heavy as it is long and very ample with a generous volume.
Feel: The surface is very smooth and pleasing to the touch, mimicking the silky consistency of nappa leather.
Material: The label indicates that this garment by Sisley (a brand under the Benetton Group as indicated on the label) comprises 100% polyester for the main textile, with a polyurethane coating, and a lining composed of 97% polyester and 3% elastane.
Labels/Warnings/Washing instructions: The label indicates the skirt was "Made in China". The washing instructions explain it should be washed at 30°, no bleach, no tumble dry, no iron, no dry clean, no wringing.
History: Purchased approximately five years ago, the skirt has been worn 12 times: twice by a friend who subsequently passed it on to me this year and ten times by myself.
Upon receiving the skirt, it was in perfect condition. Despite following the washing instructions, the skirt exhibited immediate damage after only one wear.
Deterioration: Initially free from signs of wear, the skirt's surface cracked on the left side near the zipper after the first wear. These cracks expanded rapidly, extending to the back and around the waist.
Notably, no accessories or embellishments were worn that could have caused damage (I wore the skirt with a plain cotton T-shirt with no sequins or beads that may have damaged it and no belt or other types of accessories around the waist). Soon, the hem started fraying, and cuts appeared.
Subsequently, the cracked areas began peeling off. Unlike previous experiences with polyurethane coating, the material displayed a lack of elasticity, breaking into smaller pieces rather than in long and elastic film patches.
Storage: Kept in a wardrobe away from light and plastic covers, the skirt hung alongside other garments made of wool and cotton.
Exhibit B
Description: Exhibit B refers to a cropped top with strings, coated with polyurethane, and lacking any identifiable label. It is designed to fit a person of medium size.
Fit: Tight fitting, as stated above the top appears suitable for a medium-sized individual.
Feel: In contrast to the skirt, the surface of this polyurethane-coated garment is not as smooth. The material imitates a slightly thicker leather, resembling pigskin.
Material: Though there is no label, it is evident that this garment is constructed from a synthetic material coated with polyurethane. Notably, an indiscernible synthetic odor, reminiscent of synthetic textile materials, has developed.
Labels/Warnings/Washing Instructions: No label is present on the garment.
History: Purchased approximately 6-7 years ago from a market stall in Rome, Italy, by a friend who never wore it. Stored in her wardrobe under a jacket, the top was forgotten until recently rediscovered and passed on to me along with Exhibit A.
Although never worn, it was not smelly or dusty upon receipt and appeared to be in reasonable condition. I tried it on, found it fitting, and packed it between clean T-shirts for a recent trip.
Deterioration: Upon removing it from the case, I observed immediate cracking on the surface, accompanied by the release of a fine black dust that soiled other garments.
Attempting to mitigate the dust release, I washed it following typical instructions for polyurethane-coated garments (30° wash, no bleach, no tumble dry, no iron, no dry clean, no wringing). However, this worsened the situation, causing the coating to break and peel off entirely in various places, including the strings and resulting in a further substantial release of black dust.
Storage: The cropped top was stored in a wardrobe away from light, alongside garments that posed no risk of damage. It hung beneath a jacket.
Conclusions
The swift deterioration of garments with minimal or no use is quite surprising. While skepticism may surround anonymous market stall purchases, the skirt in question is from a once-popular high street brand in Italy and from what I was told it costed around 100 euros. Although not an exorbitant sum, it exceeds the cost of similar polyurethane-coated items at fast-fashion retailers. The rapid degradation of both items is shocking.
In the case of the skirt, its design contributed to its malfunction. Despite its aesthetic appeal, the heavy, ample, and long configuration may have exacerbated cracks and tears in the material. This is proved by the fact that most cracks occurred in the upper part of the skirt rather than in the middle or the lower part (the cuts around the hem may be justified by the skirt brushing against my platform shoes, sturdy footwear with a thick sole, yet again my shoes shouldn't have damaged the garment...), as if the upper part had to bear too much weight and couldn't sustain it. This prompts consideration of whether a similar malfunction would have occurred in another type of skirt such as shorter, pencil skirt made with the same material.
This statement doesn't mean I'm defending the quality, but, as a note to remind fashion design students reading this post to always study your textiles, consulting the material you're using and also questioning it (like Louis Khan questioning the brick – remember?). Listen to the material and be reasonable, can the material of your choice support your design or is it too delicate and fragile? Test materials and, if possible, create miniature versions to assess durability.
Both designs seen in this post pose an environmental risk. The skirt releases polyurethane particles ranging from 0.05mm to 2cm, while the cropped top dissolves into a fine dust that poses an inhalation risk for the wearer.
The video showing the top's deterioration highlights the release of numerous particles, emphasizing the potential health risks (apologies for the ambulance in the background, but I didn't want to mute the video to allow viewers to hear the distinct sounds of the top crumpling on the paper and to comprehend the extent of particle release and their minuscule size). This raises concerns about gender-specific exposure as well: polyurethane coating is employed on all sorts of garments and accessories, yet there are probably more designs made with this material tailored with women in mind, which would make them more prone to health risks.
Scientific researchers have proved us that some disorders such as thyroidal dysfunctions may be caused by chemicals (for examples, those ones used in consumer goods like non-stick pans and water-resistant fabrics). Nowadays more women suffer from thyroidal issues than men, so could it be that we women are intoxicating ourselves by exposing our bodies to certain substances and textiles (death by fashion is not a new thing, after all: at the end of the 1770s the bright dye called Sheele Green became very popular, but a lot of women wearing gowns dyed with this arsenic-laced shade felt sick, developed sores and ulcers on the skin, reported a loss of hair and vomited blood…).
What are these substances doing to us humble wearers? Well, we don't know for sure, that's why an investigation into the impact of certain substances and textiles on the human body would be needed to see if we could find them responsible for many modern illnesses and disorders.
So, what to do with the garments in this post? Well, in their current state, the garments cannot be worn or recycled, leading to the inevitable outcome of contributing to landfill pollution. Which leads us to our conclusion: given the unpredictability of polyurethane-coated designs, it is advisable to avoid purchasing them.
Despite this, the demand for faux leather remains high, as evidenced by the success of Kylie Jenner's brand, KHY. The brand recently released 12 designs, 10 of them - including a trenchcoat, a body-con dress and a pair of trousers - all made out of "faux leather", and many pieces are already sold out (and with this I'm not accusing Kylie Jenner of selling low quality faux leather garments, but nobody guarantees us that her pieces will not crack and peel like the ones in this post...).
But there are alternatives for those impenitent fans of The Girl on the Motorcycle look: if you like leather and can't afford new garments made with this material, search for vintage ones.
If you have the skills, get some leather rolls online (you can find a few meters of nappa at very affordable prices from NonaSource that sells leftovers and dead stock from luxury fashion houses) and make your own garment (it's surprising what you can do with a bit of leather and some automatic buttons even when you don't have any sewing skills) or enlist a friend with skills, and do a project together.
Who knows, maybe one day the deterioration of these garments will be brought to the attention of the European Union. After the restriction on microplastics, the EU is focusing on the regulation of plastic pellets - also known as nurdles or nibs and usually melted down and reformed into everyday products - to prevent environmental harm. The pellets can indeed leak into the environment during the supply chain or break down into microplastics and may be eaten by people and animals. But, the same could be said about polyurethane-coated garments.
Let's also hope that in future they will do an exhibition featuring a wide range of garments in different states of deterioration that could prompt consumer reflection on the impact on our health and on our planet of the materials we wear on an everyday basis.
Comments
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.