Bestseller to test tree leaf leather in footwear line

As part of a series of investments in alternative production methods, fashion conglomerate Bestseller has announced it will be partnering with Biophilica on the development of its material Treekind.

The British start-up is currently working on an alternative footwear utilising lignocellulose from leaves and a natural binder, with the ambition of creating a recyclable material that is also suitable for composting once a product reaches its end-of-life.

Bestseller will be trialling the material with its menswear brand Jack & Jones.

In a release, Camilla Skjønning Jørgensen, the company’s innovation manager, said: “Leather processing has a high climate impact, but we must also make sure that the alternatives don’t just create another environmental problem such as high plastic content or reduced quality and durability.”

The new collaboration comes just seven months after Bestseller announced an investment in and collaboration with VirtoLabs, which grows leather via cultured laboratory cells from animals.

The funding is made via the group’s investment arm Invest FWD, through which it has supported a number of innovative projects covering various aspects of production, such as textile recycling or waste-to-fibre tech.