Nike’s newest plant-based products are the latest in a long line of collections to hit shelves.
Customers lining up outside of a Nike store in China. gunman47. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
As vegan activism rapidly increases in popularity around the world, consumers are pressuring more than just food manufacturers and restaurants to provide them with vegan options. These products are made entirely from plant-based or synthetic materials and don’t rely on animal products at all. This gives them much smaller carbon footprints, while also making them cheaper to produce because they aren’t associated with the exorbitant costs of leather and fur production. More recently, clothing and fashion brands have begun expanding their product lines to include vegan versions of their products in order to serve the growing popularity of veganism. In September of 2021, sportswear giant Nike also bought into the trend through a collaboration with popular musician Billie, which included vegan versions of their Air Jordan 1 and 15 sneakers that are normally made of leather and are therefore non-vegan.
The partnership was their second foray into intentionally plant-based products, and they’ve teamed up with Billie again this year to release an entirely new model of sneaker which is being described as being her “unique spin on the iconic Air Force 1” silhouette. Prior to this collaboration, Nike’s first release of vegan Air Force 1s were made with pineapple leather, but this new line is made using an entirely synthetic leather-like material which is produced from 80% recycled components. The collection also includes a line of matching tan-colored vegan apparel in Billie’s signature oversized style.
Singer Billie Eilish modeling apparel and sneakers from her latest vegan collaboration with Nike. Nike. CC BY-NC 2.0.
Nike’s desire to include plant-based products in their already massive product line closely matches growing trends in favor of cruelty-free and environmentally sustainable goods. Consumers are becoming much more conscious about the harmful practices associated with harvesting high quality leather and fur, largely thanks to awareness campaigns by activist groups like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals(PETA). From a commercial standpoint, the vegan fashion market for women’s apparel was valued at just under $400 billion USD in 2019, a number which is set to increase significantly over the coming decade. This makes vegan product lines a great investment for fashion brands both established and upcoming.
Although their collaboration has received a lot of publicity, Nike definitely isn’t the first large brand to release a commercially successful plant-based product line. Fashion designer Stella McCartney’s eponymous luxury brand has proudly advertised their vegetarian products from the get go. This high-end collection, among others by Hermes, Balenciaga, and Chanel to name a few, have received a lot of support from celebrities who provide excellent publicity for the movement by wearing plant-based pieces on the red carpet. In fact, it was Billie Eilish that famously convinced haute couture brand Oscar de la Renta to stop using fur altogether in exchange for her wearing one of the fashion house’s dresses to the MET Gala in 2021.
Models backstage at the Stella McCartney fashion show during Paris Fashion Week. Kris Krüg. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.
It may be hard to believe, but the widespread prevalence of vegan products is actually quite a new phenomenon. As recently as 2014, PETA made headlines for their protests outside international winter-wear producer Canada Goose’s first store in the UK. Activists gathered in London to peacefully demonstrate against the brand’s unethical treatment of geese and their extensive use of various animal furs in the production of their globally popular parkas. It wasn’t until mid 2021 that representatives of the company finally announced that they would stop using fur by the end of 2022.
As brands continue to research and innovate new ways to produce environmentally friendly and cruelty free products, it is ultimately up to consumers to continue pushing the market in a sustainable and plant-based direction. Buying from producers whose priorities align with these values is a great way to support the movement, and the list of brands who have done so ranges from high-fashion and couture brands to affordable, off-the-shelf sellers like TopShop and Zara. It’s clear that vegan products have made their mark and are here to stay, so now it’s simply a question of how long it will take for them to completely take over the market.
Tanaya Vohra
Tanaya is an undergraduate student pursuing a major in Public Health at the University of Chicago. She's lived in Asia, Europe and North America and wants to share her love of travel and exploring new cultures through her writing.