REAL LEATHER. STAY DIFFERENT.

A design competition for a more sustainable future

LONDON, March 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — The “Real Leather. Stay Different.” campaign uses its strapline as the motto of their new design competition for talented fashion students and graduates from around the world.

By doing so, it inspires a new generation of designers to incorporate natural real leather into their designs and sets a new standard; fighting fast fashion and promoting slow and sustainable consumerism – creating products which last a lifetime.

Leather: A Sustainable Future for Fashion

• Leather is made from hide, a by-product of the meat and dairy industries
• Hides have little or no value, as a result 40% go straight to landfill
• This creates almost 3 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions every year
• The wasted material is enough to put shoes on the feet of every person in Africa
• From clothes to fake leather, 65% now use oil-based synthetics from drilling and fracking
• Strong and durable, leather fully biodegrades and doesn‘t release microfibres into our oceans

ABOUT

Real Leather. Stay Different is a global campaign that makes the case for leather not only being one of the world’s oldest materials but also, as a by-product of the meat and dairy industries that would otherwise go to waste, a material of choice for those seeking a more sustainable future. Flexible and durable, leather is the natural alternative to ‘fast fashion’ with leather items chosen with care – and lasts a lifetime.

Real Leather. Stay Different. has been running national competitions in Italy, China, the UK and Taiwan since the end of 2019. It has attracted so far more than 1,000 design submissions in categories spanning Garments, Footwear, Accessories and Design. The International Student Design Competition will run alongside the national programs in 2021.

www.chooserealleather.com is a place for inspiration, information, and creativity with contributors ranging from craftspeople to designers, stylists, and photographers to retailers talking about leather and debating the future of fashion and sustainability.

SOURCE Real Leather. Stay Different