It’s one of the key details of denim, the leather patch on the back. It shows the brand aesthetic and isin the core of denim DNA. We’ve switched this leather patch for a vegan one many years ago. Not only did that make our denim products vegan, it also decreased our environmental impact. Since transparency is key to us, let’s dig deeper into our vegan back patches.

The switch to vegan denim in 2016

In 2016, we introduced our first vegan patch on the back of our jeans, made from Jacron. We wanted to stop adding animal material to our otherwise vegan products. Leather has a big carbon footprint as it comes from the carbon-intensive animal agriculture industry. Using jacron patches made our denim collection fully vegan. Jacron is a paper-like material, mainly made from cellulose from (recycled) wood pulp. Although we’re still very proud of this big decision, the Jacron patch did have a downside. They became less beautiful after several washes. So we kept looking for a better leather substitute.

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Vegan leather patches made from corn and wheat

We found this better solution in our current Viridis patches in. These green patches are 69% biobased and made with 43% biobased polyols made from a by-product of corn and wheat production. The base layer is viscose made from wood sourced from sustainably managed forests. To add durability the patch is completed with 31% normal polyurethane (PU). Working on sustainable practices means doing a lot of testing, comparing and considering different options. When looking at the combination of production impact and its durability, this patch is the best one we could find on the market. The patches look very leather-like and will last through an almost infinite amount of washes.

Made in Italy by Panama Trimmings

The Viridis patch is made by our partner Panama Trimmings in Italy. We’re proud to work with this supplier because Panama Trimmings practices what they preach. The roof of their facility is stacked with solar panels, completely covering their energy demand. Besides, they offer a wide range of more sustainable patches and other products, for instance, made from recycled, vegan and bio-based materials. Although we keep our eye out for a 100% bio-based and qualitative patch one day, we’re very happy to feature the Viridis patches on our denim.