Special report


A new hybrid D


uring APLF Dubai’s footwear forum, a presentation on how the Middle East can become a footwear manufacturing hub drew attention. While the talk focused on 3-D printing and biomanufacturing, it raised the question, what about leather? This was posed to one of the presenters, Nicoline van Enter, the founder of Footwearology and co-founder of the New Fashion Factory (NEFFA). “I would prefer that the next-gen materials not present themselves as leather replacements because I don’t think they are, I don’t think they need to be,” van Enter says. Instead, she offers the suggestion that they could work in cooperation


Changing the mix


One of the big issues for footwear is the current mix of materials and adhesives used in today’s shoes limits longevity and recycling possibilities. But what if biotechnology could have a role in innovating the leather industry?


approach


In the debate over leather and alternative materials, the choice has always been presented as either/or. The two sectors may initially seem at loggerheads, but as Vera Dordick discovers, could the future of the leather market be a hybrid one?


with leather, replacing ubiquitous polyurethane materials and coatings. Previously at the 2018 Shanghai Shake-up Program during ACLE, van Enter proposed using a hybrid of leather and alternative materials was the future. Since then, the possibilities for a unique alliance have grown.


Leather International / www.leathermag.com


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Rodica Vasiliev/Shutterstock.com


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