Leather has an undeniable allure in the fashion world, and Modern Meadow is a new company helping to navigate the ethical dilemma that the material poses. The New Jersey-based bioengineering startup makes leather in a lab, eliminating the need for real animal hides altogether.
Even militant vegans would have trouble denying the cultural allure of leather clothing, but that doesn't make the material any less ethically murky. In the past, wearing leather necessarily meant killing an animal, but Modern Meadow is hoping to change that for good. The company's lab-grown leather, branded as 'Zoa', is completely animal free, meaning that it isn't even made from animal cells originally.
Zoa is made through "a smart custom DNA-based biofabrication process that's not a million miles away from CRISPR gene editing," according to Digital Trends. It creates collagen in skin from scratch, eliminating animals from the process entirely.
Lab-Grown Leather Products
'Modern Meadow' Sells Bioengineered Leather Clothing and Textiles
Trend Themes
1. Bioengineered Leather - The trend of bioengineering leather products is disrupting the fashion industry, opening up opportunities for ethical and sustainable alternatives to traditional leather.
2. Lab-grown Textiles - The trend of lab-grown textiles is set to disrupt the textile industry by providing animal-free and sustainable materials.
3. Dna-based Biofabrication - The trend of using DNA-based biofabrication is creating new opportunities for animal-free and sustainable products, and has the potential to disrupt traditional manufacturing processes.
Industry Implications
1. Fashion Industry - The lab-grown leather and bioengineered textiles trend presents an opportunity for the fashion industry to create sustainable and ethically-produced clothing and accessories.
2. Textile Industry - The trend of lab-grown textiles presents an opportunity for the textile industry to move towards more sustainable and environmentally-friendly production methods.
3. Biofabrication Industry - The trend of DNA-based biofabrication presents an opportunity for the biofabrication industry to innovate and create animal-free and sustainable products for various industries.