DailyStraits Tests GrapeSkin

By June Ramli

Perth, April 12: When an A4 sample of Vegea’s black GrapeSkin material arrived from Italy via UPS, the first reaction was disbelief.
It was difficult to imagine that something created from grape waste could be turned into a material that looked and felt this refined.
At first touch, the material felt sturdy, smooth and surprisingly polished, with a finish that made it easy to see why Vegea has been positioning it as an alternative for fashion and design applications.

In black, it also carried a sleek and versatile look that would not feel out of place in premium accessories.
One of the more surprising things about the sample was how durable it seemed in practice.
It was not especially easy to cut, which suggested a level of toughness that could work well in products needing structure and resilience.
The sample also appeared to resist water reasonably well, with moisture not seeping through easily.
That added to the impression that the material may be suitable for practical everyday items rather than being treated as only a novelty or concept material.

Based on the sample received, GrapeSkin appears particularly well suited to products such as shoes and bags, where structure, durability and surface finish matter.
It looked and felt convincing enough to be considered for these types of items, especially as brands search for lower-impact alternatives to conventional materials.
Its use in clothing is a little less straightforward.
While it may not immediately lend itself to all forms of apparel, it could still have potential in selected fashion applications, particularly more structured pieces or seasonal items such as winter garments where heavier materials are often preferred.

That possibility is especially interesting in the context of footwear.
Materials such as pig skin have long been used in certain types of boots and shoes, and alternatives like GrapeSkin could open the door to other options for brands looking to rethink what goes into those products.
GrapeSkin was developed by Italian biomaterials company Vegea and first introduced in 2016 by chemist Francesco Merlino.
The material is made using grape skins, seeds and stalks left over from the wine-making process, which are then combined with bio-based components to create what the company describes as a lower-impact alternative.

Vegea said it has now expanded production of GrapeSkin in 2026, a move aimed at improving availability, speeding up access and ensuring smoother deliveries as demand for the material continues to grow. The company said the expansion will not change the quality, hand-feel or bio-based composition that have defined GrapeSkin since its early development.

The latest production milestone comes as Vegea marks the 10th anniversary of GrapeSkin, highlighting a decade of development for a material that began with vineyard waste and has since found its way into global conversations around sustainable fashion and design.
For anyone seeing and feeling it up close for the first time, it is easy to understand why the material continues to attract attention.

Disclaimer: The GrapeSkin material sample was provided to DailyStraits.com for evaluation. No payment was received for this coverage and opinions expressed are based on hands-on testing of the sample provided.