Do you wish LV had a selection of "vegan" handbags?
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Heck no. Why go even harder into the environmental harm fostered by the chemicals/plastics industries?
THIS!
"vegan" is a disgustingly misleading word when it comes to fashion. It literally means more plastic, shorter product life, more garbage.
The only arguments against leather (which is a noble and natural material) are depicted in a way that they are way more serious than what plastic production causes. All BS.
How the animals are kept is a factor. The case of H&M with supply from South-ease Asia is vastly different from Speedy leather sourced from Bretagne, where cows are literally chilling all day out in the field. For high-end quality they need cattle that is in excellent shape and health and has a stress free life.
They argue that tanning (especially chrome based tanning) is very taxing on the environment, uses lots of water and poisons the soil. Well, they seem to forget how plastic production also needs an exorbitant amount of water, and that the handling of the tanning chemicals (and the chemicals themselves) are, again, vastly different in the very strictly controlled European Union, where almost all Vuitton leathers come from.
And we can all be fake-compassionate about cute animals suffering, replacing leather with plastic will poison and turture billions and billions of animals in the coming thousands and thousands of years. Oh, we won't see that, so that doesn't matter, does it?
And at the end of the day, the never-ending need for consumption collides with wanting to look nice. Come on.
I believe that this is a very Western issue, and that most of the luxury buyers (and the ones who matter most for Vuitton) are not interested in this kinda virtue signalling. No wonder why brands who made this a No1 priority are tanking lately.
If people really care about this, then the solution should be going even more natural. Plastic is the true enemy, that should be removed from future product. Even the lovely Birkins have a thick layer of plastic foam (!!!) between the lining and the outer leather layer to help the bag stand straight.
An ideal bag would be all leather, all vegetable tanned, no synthetic lining, no plastic reinforcement, linen-threads, etc... and if buried in the ground, it would disappear in a few decades, leaving behind only a few metal rings.
Sorry for the long post, but I get very passionate when it comes to certain topics. This is one of them.
I would not personally pay LV prices for, what would essentially be, a reusable shopping bag that I can get from any supermarket.
I also concur with other posters that I would not, for one second or at any price, ever consider a vegan bag that is made of plastic. That is just a more unethical and damaging option from every point of view.
However, I am interested in plant-based alternatives to leather that are not the usual 'vegan' options. Namely, pineapple, mushroom or cactus "leather" bags. I have not researched these in-depth as yet, but afaik they are sustainable and environmentally friendly vegan options (using less pollutants and being fully biodegradable). If anyone is knowledgeable on these options, I'd be thrilled to hear more about them!
Plant bases alternatives are interesting ideas. BUT. The long lasting properties of leather come from the tanning process. I doubt that they can replicate it well so that a plant "leather" will last a 100 years. People here freak out about their Speedy handles getting patina too quickly, imagine how they will react if the handle will start to rot after a few years 
My view is that cotton, linen and plant based bags will never be taken seriously by luxury clients. They are OK as shopping bags at walmart, but I don't see anyone who would pay thousands for a "banana" Chanel. And the other serious aspect of these plant ased alternatives is scale. They seem to be much less harmful, but when produced at large scale, the environmental impact will be excruciating. Just think about palm oil. It is palm, completely natural and plant based. Who doesn't love that? But after the industries became thirsty for it, countless acres of jungle were obliterated to make room for them.
The key would be balance. There is no magic material that will make infinite business growth OK and our never ending consumption demand OK.
My view is that cotton, linen and plant based bags will never be taken seriously by luxury clients. They are OK as shopping bags at walmart, but I don't see anyone who would pay thousands for a "banana" Chanel. And the other serious aspect of these plant ased alternatives is scale. They seem to be much less harmful, but when produced at large scale, the environmental impact will be excruciating. Just think about palm oil. It is palm, completely natural and plant based. Who doesn't love that? But after the industries became thirsty for it, countless acres of jungle were obliterated to make room for them.
The key would be balance. There is no magic material that will make infinite business growth OK and our never ending consumption demand OK.
And especially in THIS economy??!!
Tbh tho let’s be real, LV sells several bags that are completely plastic coated canvas without so much as a leather handle. (Look at the on the go for example)
No, we’re already living in wasteful fashion.
If you care about the environment, stop buying new material things and buy used things. Up cycle is the way to go. IMO
If you care about the environment, stop buying new material things and buy used things. Up cycle is the way to go. IMO
