Paper Leather Jacket

The material in this concept has been co-developed by Rise & CCD for Mistra Future Fashion. The original brief was to create a wearable nonwoven that ‘felt like cashmere’ and could be recycled as paper. By tailoring the balance of fibres within the mix a material that looks and feels closer to leather was also created created.

Finishing techniques are employed for both aesthetic and functional improvements. The material is naturally dyed using logwood and cochineal that can be applied to the finished paper or at the fibre stage. Repeat hand-rolling of the material in transverse directions provides a softening effect to emulate worn leather.

The use phase of this material is short, designed to be worn around 12 times over 6 months without laundry or maintenance. At the end of the 6-month wear period, the jacket is returned for recovery through domestic paper recycling channels.