Gucci Released Its First-ever Vegan Shoes Range Made Of Sustainable Materials

Luxury fashion brand Gucci joins the green revolution with the launch of its entirely vegan sneaker collection. 

Although there are many new sustainable materials in the fashion industry now, all created by different startups, Gucci is the first luxury brand to develop its own environmentally friendly and animal-free material. It took the company two years of research and development to create Demetra.

Demetra is a new vegan material, made largely from plant-based raw materials (more than 77 percent) and includes viscose and wood pulp from sustainably managed forests as well as organic polyurethane from renewable sources.

The name Demetra is derived from Greek mythology and refers to Demeter the goddess of harvest and agriculture. According to the brand, Demetra is "combining quality, softness, durability and scalability with an eco-friendly ethos."

Demetra is produced in Gucci’s factory in Italy and it could be used in different product categories, including shoes, accessories and leather goods. The company says Demetra scraps produced during the manufacturing process will be upcycled and reused.

The vegan shoes from the new collection include three  models The Gucci New Ace, the Gucci Rhyton and the Gucci Basket, all of which are made with Demetra, organic cotton and recycled polyester.

The brand wrote on the website: “In our 100th anniversary year, 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. Demetra offers our industry an easily scalable, alternative choice and a more sustainable material that also answers the needs of animal-free solutions.”