Are these Gucci’s most sustainable sneakers yet?

Gucci unveils three trainer styles, the ‘Basket’, ‘New Ace’ and ‘Rhyton’, crafted using Demetra, a new alternative to animal leather that has taken two years to create

Gucci Basket sneaker
Gucci ‘Basket’ sneakers in Demetra, the brand’s non-animal leather
(Image credit: press)

Brands have hit the ground running when it comes to ecological material innovation, presenting fabrics that are not derived from animal products and are petroleum free. Take Hermès, which in March 2021 presented the prototype of its ‘Victoria’ travel bag, crafted from a mushroom-based leather called Slyvania, created in collaboration with Californian start-up MycoWorks. Or Allbirds, which in February 2021, announced investment in Natural Fiber Welding Inc, an American company offering a plant-derived alternative to leather.

Now Gucci has added an alternative, ecological material to its arsenal. Demetra, a culmination of two years of research and development by the Florentine house's technicians and artisans, is a supple, soft and tannable alternative to leather, crafted primarily from sustainable, renewable, and bio-based sources. 

Demetra by Gucci

Demetra by Gucci

(Image credit: press)

In celebration of Demetra's launch, Gucci has unveiled three retro-futuristic sneaker designs crafted using the fabric, the colourful high-top ‘Basket’; the ‘New Ace’ plimsoll, complete with spray-painted logo; and the chunky-soled, star-swathed ‘Rhyton’. Further designs, in trainers and additional product categories, are set to follow.

RELATED STORY

ReCollection 01, by The RealReal

In the spirit of collaboration – which now permeates the fashion industry as it works to adopt more environmentally responsible manufacturing models – Gucci is set to to offer its Demetra material as an open innovation. It's a mindset that many labels are sharing today. Allbirds' sugarcane EVA material, used to make its SweetFoam soles, is used by Reebok, Timberland and Ugg, and in 2020, Allbirds announced a revolutionary brand partnership with Adidas, launching a trainer with a remarkably low carbon footprint in May 2021.

‘In our 100th anniversary year, Demetra is a new category of material that encapsulates Gucci’s quality and aesthetic standards with our desire to innovate, leveraging our traditional skills and know-how to create for an evolving future,' says Marco Bizzarri, president and CEO of Gucci. Its debut Demetra sneakers represent a sustainble step in the right direction. 

Gucci New Ace sneaker

Gucci ‘New Ace’ in Demetra

(Image credit: press)

Gucci Rhyton sneaker

Gucci ‘Rhyton’ in Demetra

(Image credit: press)

INFORMATION

gucci.com

Read more
Templa
‘Designing to disappear’: The story behind Templa’s first biodegradable jacket
The ‘Mycelium Muse’ collection features the work of seven female artists and designers who have used mycelium derivative Reishi to craft artworks and furnishings such as a desk, stool and lamp
We feel a growing passion for MycoWorks, the company inspiring beauty with fungal-based biomaterial
Gucci Balenciaga Demna Portrait
Demna is heading to Gucci after a decade at Balenciaga
Craig Green Ecco ECCO.kollektive jacket and shoes
The story behind Craig Green’s extraordinary ‘jigsaw puzzle’ leather jackets
Prada Slipper Mens S/S 2025 runway show
These fringed Prada slippers capture a lived-in elegance
S/S 2025 best fashion looks and trends
Trompe l’oeil, transparency, spiralling silhouettes: these looks capture S/S 2025’s definitive trends
Latest in Fashion & Beauty
perfume bottle archive Cristalleries de Nancy
This perfume bottle archive was nearly lost. Now, it offers a rare whiff of fragrance history
thom browne palm beach store
In Thom Browne’s newest store, prep meets Palm Beach
Johanna Parv A/W 2025 Young London Designer Uprising
Johanna Parv’s ‘engineered formalwear’ is made for the woman on the move
Azzedine Alaïa and Carla Sozzani, 2016
Carla Sozzani on a life in art and fashion: ‘I wanted to change how magazines were made’
Prada Slipper Mens S/S 2025 runway show
These fringed Prada slippers capture a lived-in elegance
Graphic S/S 2025 fashion trend
For S/S 2025, streamlined silhouettes with a graphic edge
Latest in News
A still from Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love (2000)
Prada and Wong Kar-wai dream up a cinematic restaurant in Shanghai
Syd Mead, Future Pastime, 534 West 26th Street, New York
A new exhibition in New York presents the visionary artwork of the late Syd Mead
riverrock frank lloyd wright house
Frank Lloyd Wright’s last house has finally been built – and you can stay there
Design Space LA art fair
Basic.Space launches its first IRL shopping event – in an empty West Hollywood mall
Tetris house, an island house in greece, with its white geometric volumes
A retro video game is the unlikely inspiration for this island house in Greece
the lavery london restaurant review
At The Lavery, Anglo-Italian cooking caters to London’s design obsessive