In London, sustainability focused fashion designer Stella McCartney has partnered with Veuve Clicquot to produce a leather alternative from champagne waste. Both McCartney and the popular high-end bubbly maker operate under the LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton umbrella of brands.
“I’d been looking at cross-industry collaboration within [LVMH], and one day I said to Mr. [Bernard] Arnault[, LVMH CEO,] ‘You know I’m putting bags down my runway made from grape skin waste from the Italian wine industry. Give me one of your brands and let me use that waste,’” McCartney told Women’s Wear Daily.
McCartney also said the material, which took about 18 months to produce, has the same look, feel, and durability as animal leather. “You truly cannot tell the difference. It also has the ability to be available at scale, which is something that excites me because I get to create and design great fashion while at the same time I am pushing boundaries. I get to challenge an industry that is really old fashioned and still works with the same five to ten materials that it’s worked with for the last hundred years,” she said.
McCartney had already used the material in three Frayme bags and a bottle holder containing Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label. Additionally, the designer used recycled cork collected from Veuve Clicquot to make platform wedge sandals.