Trainers made from wine 'leather'? We'll take two pairs please

In an age where everyone wants to be more sustainable, along with a growing demand for vegan products, some companies have found very creative ways to make new materials to replace those typically made of animal products – such as leather.

Mercer Amsterdam has partnered with Italian firm Vegea, which specialises in the production of vegan leather. The collaboration has resulted in a rather interesting new shoe. Interesting in the sense that it takes advantage of our love of booze...

Vegea takes the skins, stalks and seeds of grapes that get leftover from the winemaking process. These ingredients are manufactured by the Italian company into a “soft, smooth and 100% sustainable" faux leather material that is then used as part of the new shoes. The mesh on the shoes is also made of recycled PET bottles and the soles are made from algae.

The new shoes aren't the first product to be made using the wine-derived leather either. Vegea partnered with H&M to supply the faux leather for handbags and shoes.

The new environmentally-friendly shoes are due to launch in December as part of Mercer's Spring/Summer 2021 collection, with an RRP of 250 euros. The shoes currently come in four colours and Mercer has plans to expand the range if they're successful. Hopefully, these new trainers will become a permanent fixture in Mercer's range and other manufacturers will also take advantage of this new faux leather to make 100% sustainable footwear with a boozy twist.