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How can I market 'New Leather'?

With the development of our civilization and the dwindling resources we are not only re-thinking our relationship with natural resources and trying to use them more rationally but we are also developing new technologies and creating substitutes for them. New norms of ethics and aesthetics are developing out of this process.

'New leather' is the result of my fascination with different materials and the feeling of guilt from using real leather, which is a byproduct of slaughtered animals. I was looking for a solution to eliminate that "guilt" factor with the help of modern technologies and still have a material with the characteristics of real leather, such as: durability, flexibility, tactility and biodegradability.

I had been researching intensively on contemporary materials until one day I saw an article about a company that started a fully automated production line of artificial human skin for medical reasons. I thought it would be a great method to create animal skin without killing any animals!

I approached different experts with the proposal to grow a graft of animal skin out of adult stem cells and then make a piece of leather out of it. It turned out that my idea does not fit into any of the major categories of biotechnology and to perform this experiment I would have needed huge funding. The main thing I confirmed is that it was doable.

Then I decided to test my idea in two different ways:

1. Conducting online survey "Handbag material" (quantitative method)

2. Performing a 'blind trial' with an artifact that does not embody the final form of material (qualitative method)

My theoretical research informed me that the attraction of leather could be traced back to hunting. It is a demonstration of power and victory, conquering and overcoming danger. In tribal times animal skin was considered a trophy. People who had it were meant to be strong and successful and therefore had a high position in society. This is why leather clothes lend themselves to people's sex appeal.

This project helped me to understand better the conflicting issues between our ideas and actions. Our moral considerations now extending far beyond what was beneficial to our ancestors. Although it is not easy to do what we should do instead of what we want to do, we fight our evolutionary heritage to get closer to our ideas and ideals for a better world. more...