Material World: Clae, Purified’s Kicks Channel the ‘Tonic of Wildness’

Material World is a weekly roundup of innovations and ideas within the materials sector, covering news from emerging biomaterials and alternative leathers to sustainable substitutes and future-proof fibers.

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Clae

Los Angeles-based footwear brand Clae will showcase a new use for grapes by launching a collection of Italian-made, animal-free kicks derived from grape residues, vegetable oils and natural fibers sourced from agriculture. For the Autumn/Winter 2024 season, Clae is releasing two of its styles—the Bradley and Joshua—in a grape leather alternative .

GrapeSkin by Vegea is made from grape stalks, skins and pips that are usually discarded during wine production. The coating comprises 55 percent plant resins and grape and 45 percent water-based polyurethane (PU). In 2017, Vegea won the H&M Foundation’s Change Maker Award for this plant-based alternative to leather.

Playing homage to the “transformative use” of grapes, the Bradley and Joshua will be available in a Bordeaux colorway with cork insoles. The Bradley features a vegan leather upper with GOTS-certified organic cotton, while the Joshua has a recycled mesh upper with GRS-certified recycled polyester lining. Each shoe is designed with a naturally antibacterial cork footbed for barefoot wear.

Carbios

French biotech firm Carbios and polyester producer SASA have signed a letter of intent (LOI) to potentially acquire a license for Carbios’ polyethylene terephthalate (PET) biorecycling technology.

Per the agreement, SASA will construct and operate an enzymatic depolymerization plant in Adana, Turkey. The facility—which has a capacity of 100,000 tons per year—would use prepared PET waste to produce polyester pellets, fibers and textiles. With Carbios’ biorecycling technology, SASA said it would diversify its offering to meet the growing demand for sustainable materials in the textile industry, primarily catering to the European market.

“With the creation of a major PET yarn and fiber manufacturing capacity on a European scale, we believer Turkey will play a pivotal role in the expanding textile market,” said Emmanuel Ladent, CEO of Carbios. “Partnering with SASA, a leader in polyester production, is a natural fit for Carbios’ international ambitions for licensing our biorecycling technology and will contribute to a more circular and sustainable textile industry.”

As Europe pushes for a regulation to incorporate at least 20 percent recycled content in packaging by 2030, demand for recycled polyester is expected to increase, positioning Turkey as a major producer alongside Asian countries, the companies said. With that in mind, SASA said the potential integration of Carbios’ technology aligns with its ambitions to become one of Europe’s biggest high-value-added polyester suppliers .

“As a leading producer of polyester, it’s our duty to pave the way in terms of sustainability and environmental responsibility,” said Dr. M Kemal Öz, general manager of the manufacturer. “ SASA needs to be a part of the recycling business and our partnership with Carbios reinforces our commitment to innovation to advance a circular economy for textiles.”

Purified

Sustainable shoe brand Purified has launched its third all-natural shoe, the Walden.

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The zero-plastic shoe combines the Strobel construction method with a non-toxic, hand-sewn binding and wave-inspired comfort system. It features a refreshed design that represents a new direction for the London brand. The sneakers, named after Henry David Thoreau’s 19th-century memoir, hope to inspire wearers to return to nature.

“I am incredibly proud to release the Walden—a sneaker that is equal parts contemporary style, comfortable wear, nature-inspired and biotech-based,” said Will Verona , Purified’s founder and designer. “I was reading Thoreau’s account of his time in the woods while designing the sneaker, so it seemed fitting to honor his book with a fully natural shoe with simple living at its core.”

The shoe comprises Natural Fiber Welding (NFW)’s plastic-free Mirum and Plaint biomaterials, hand-sewn together in Portugal with cotton threads. Mirum , the Walden’s upper, is a plastic-free alternative to leather made from plants, minerals and NFW’s patented bio-curative. The Walden’s sole is made of Pliant , a naturally cured rubber outsole derived from the Hevea tree.

“Crafting a sneaker using exclusively biobased materials —and testing its safe decomposition at end-of-life—is the radical approach to circularity that we need,” said Stephen Taylor, product circularity engineer at Natural Fiber Welding . “Together, Purified and NFW are carving out a way to create a more sustainable material future.”

Just like the rest of Purified’s offerings, the Walden is designed to exist within the Earth’s natural cycle and is proven to provide micronutrients that enable future plant growth when buried at the end of life, as validated by SATRA . The independent research body tested the shoe’s impact on soil health under ISO 20020:2015. For 90 days, the shoes were exposed to soil, which was later tested for toxicity. Tomato and barley plants were then exposed to the remaining shoe matter in an OECD 208 plant response test. Under certain conditions, the plants grew better than in regular compost.

“I’ve long believed in combining nature, technology and style is the way to transform the lifecycle and consumption of footwear, and I believe our new Walden sneaker represents that best,” Verona said. “I like to think Thoreau would have done too.”

Pangaia

Pangaia ’s latest capsule, the Hope Tee series, draws inspiration from stories embodying the theme of “biodiversity optimism,” with each design celebrating successful conservation efforts .

The material sciences B Corp teamed with illustrator Taylor Dasbach for the collection of graphic design T-shirts intended to provide hope for global conservation and restoration efforts. The tees are made from organic cotton and dyed using Nature Coatings BioBlack TX , which helps reduce fossil fuel dependency. Traditional carbon black is made from petroleum, whereas Nature Coatings’ version provides a planet-friendlier version as it’s sourced using FSC-certified wood waste.

All trims, labels and threads are either recycled or responsibly sourced. The product packaging is biobased and should be discarded in a compost facility once opened.

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