100% plant-derived leather, obtained from grape scraps left over from vinification and processed without using chemicals, reducing waste to boot. The project is Italian, and won first prize – a grant of €300,000 – in the H&M Foundation's Global Change Award 2016. The name of this new material – entirely made in Italy – is Wineleather, and it's the brainchild of Gianpiero Tessitore and Francesco Merlino, in collaboration with Rossella and Valentina Longobardo.
“We have created and patented an innovative manufacturing process – says Tessitore, founder of Vegea srl and Wineleather's inventor – that turns the fibers and vegetable oils present in grape pomace into an eco-friendly material with the same functional, esthetic and sensory characteristics as leather.”
