Vicki von Holzhausen: Liquidplant

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“Somebody told me, when I was a young designer at Mercedes, they said, ‘well, it takes like... 20 cows to upholster this sedan.’ …Clearly people believe that cows, that the leather, is a byproduct of the food industry, but that's not necessarily true. When you part out the cow, the leather is actually the most valuable component of the cow. - Vicki von Holzhausen

Vicki von Holzhausen is a former car designer who decided to make a vegan leather that could rival animal leather. After much research and many experiments, she and her team developed a sustainable leather alternative. They tested it out as a handbag which then became a luxurious line of vegan handbags and accessories, called von Holzhausen.

But that wasn't enough, because Vicki’s bigger mission was and is to remove animal leather from the materials system. So, they headed back into the lab and continued to create more and better leather alternatives. While they were there, von Holzhausen’s mission grew even bigger. Yes, they’d continue to develop beautiful and sustainable materials to replace animal leather, but why not replace plastic too?

Earlier this year, the von Holzhausen team announced the introduction of the Liquidplant, the world’s first 100% plant-based, high-performance topcoat, making plastic-free materials a reality. Liquidplant can replace plastic topcoats in all kinds of materials, including synthetic leather paper, wood, plastic and fabric, meaning it can and will change the world.

“… when you think about deforestation, the microplastic pollution, if we can start to chip away at eliminating whole areas where leather and plastic polyurethane are being used, then we will make a dramatic impact.” - Vicki von Holzhausen