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Behold the power of marketing. "Vegan leather" is just... plastic. On the other hand, I don't think I've seen cloth seats advertised by any car manufacturer as

Behold the power of marketing. "Vegan leather" is just... plastic. On the other hand, I don't think I've seen cloth seats advertised by any car manufacturer as "plant-based" or similar, yet.

robertlagrant 2y ago
It was once termed "pleather" by unkind folk.
Klaster_1 2y ago
Second this, I expected a mycelium-based alternative instead of plastic.
- card_zero 2y ago
  I was kind of hoping for cloned skin cells grown in a vat.
  - __egb__ 2y ago
    It’s all fun and games until the seat in your car—or spaceship—says, “Moisturize me!”
stevage 2y ago
I'm trying to work out whether Mini actually uses the word "vegan" or this is just the journalism. Mini says this for instance: > Only leather-free trim options are available for the upholstery and seats of the MINI Cooper (2024). Depending on the trim, you can choose from different fabric and vescin variants or fabric/vescin combinations. Although elsewhere they say: > The MINI Favoured Trim in the MINI Aceman (2024) is the most expressive variant of the MINI Aceman in the interior and exterior. Parts of the dashboard are covered with a two-tone knitted textile in Petrol with an orange pattern. The sport seats made of perforated vegan leather (Vescin) are available in a light and a dark colour with coloured accent stitching. The frame of the front grille is finished in Vibrant Silver. The front and rear have a visual underride protection in Vibrant Silver.
Klonoar 2y ago
MIRUM is one that is entirely plastic free, and they supposedly were working with BMW on using it in cars. Wonder what happened to it.
Spunkie 2y ago
I really hate that the industry managed to pull off the pleather to "vegan leather" rebranding. Everyone back in the day was clearly aware that pleather meant it was gonna be some shitty inferior product. While the exact same stuff called "vegan leather" manages to be marketed as a premium product and successfully tricks people. We are starting to pay the price for basic entry level cars that was what a luxury car went for just a decade ago. Yet somehow the materials the car is made out of is universally worse.
- troyvit 2y ago
  > Getting into a new MINI with Vescin for the first time it’s clear that Vescin is a step-up from what we’ve known as Leatherette. In the all the handful of new MINIs we’ve experienced it in the seats were softer to the touch than leatherette and felt much more supple. But how do they compare with leather? In short very well. Compared with the standard Chesterfield or Cross Punch leather seating, Vescin feels softer and more premium. Not surprising given that MINI’s standard leather is almost a veneer over other materials. So the point of the article you're commenting about is that the pleather in these cars is better than the leather was (but the leather in MINIs wasn't great to begin with). Personally I hate the feel and smell of leather (or pleather), especially wearing shorts on a hot day. As if yeah that's when I want to sit on a corpse's shell.
- myvoiceismypass 2y ago
  It’s 2025 and not all “vegan leather” looks like the plasticky pleather of 3+ decades ago. $20 Amazon jackets? Yeah, that is gonna be disposable plastic junk. And the article describes this material as certainly not junky.

Behold the power of marketing. "Vegan leather" is just... plastic. On the other hand, I don't think I've seen cloth seats advertised by any car manufacturer as "plant-based" or similar, yet.

robertlagrant 2y ago

It was once termed "pleather" by unkind folk.

Klaster_1 2y ago

Second this, I expected a mycelium-based alternative instead of plastic.

card_zero 2y ago
I was kind of hoping for cloned skin cells grown in a vat.
- __egb__ 2y ago
  It’s all fun and games until the seat in your car—or spaceship—says, “Moisturize me!”

stevage 2y ago

I'm trying to work out whether Mini actually uses the word "vegan" or this is just the journalism. Mini says this for instance: > Only leather-free trim options are available for the upholstery and seats of the MINI Cooper (2024). Depending on the trim, you can choose from different fabric and vescin variants or fabric/vescin combinations. Although elsewhere they say: > The MINI Favoured Trim in the MINI Aceman (2024) is the most expressive variant of the MINI Aceman in the interior and exterior. Parts of the dashboard are covered with a two-tone knitted textile in Petrol with an orange pattern. The sport seats made of perforated vegan leather (Vescin) are available in a light and a dark colour with coloured accent stitching. The frame of the front grille is finished in Vibrant Silver. The front and rear have a visual underride protection in Vibrant Silver.

Klonoar 2y ago

MIRUM is one that is entirely plastic free, and they supposedly were working with BMW on using it in cars. Wonder what happened to it.

Spunkie 2y ago

I really hate that the industry managed to pull off the pleather to "vegan leather" rebranding. Everyone back in the day was clearly aware that pleather meant it was gonna be some shitty inferior product. While the exact same stuff called "vegan leather" manages to be marketed as a premium product and successfully tricks people. We are starting to pay the price for basic entry level cars that was what a luxury car went for just a decade ago. Yet somehow the materials the car is made out of is universally worse.

troyvit 2y ago
> Getting into a new MINI with Vescin for the first time it’s clear that Vescin is a step-up from what we’ve known as Leatherette. In the all the handful of new MINIs we’ve experienced it in the seats were softer to the touch than leatherette and felt much more supple. But how do they compare with leather? In short very well. Compared with the standard Chesterfield or Cross Punch leather seating, Vescin feels softer and more premium. Not surprising given that MINI’s standard leather is almost a veneer over other materials. So the point of the article you're commenting about is that the pleather in these cars is better than the leather was (but the leather in MINIs wasn't great to begin with). Personally I hate the feel and smell of leather (or pleather), especially wearing shorts on a hot day. As if yeah that's when I want to sit on a corpse's shell.
myvoiceismypass 2y ago
It’s 2025 and not all “vegan leather” looks like the plasticky pleather of 3+ decades ago. $20 Amazon jackets? Yeah, that is gonna be disposable plastic junk. And the article describes this material as certainly not junky.