Question from Lisa
What is faux suede?
Debra’s Answer
Faux suede is a man-made fabric used in clothing, footwear, upholstery and accessory items. It is designed to look like real suede, which is a very soft leather made from animal skins.
Faux suede is made from 100% polyester, which is a plastic that can be woven into threads. To make faux suede, manufacturers use threads that are close to the weight and consistency of leather fibers.
Though polyester is only slightly toxic, it does outgas and can cause skin rashes that can be quite severe.
Hello Deb
Just was wondering what is your stance on recycled polyester such as Dinamica (https://dinamicamiko.com/en/dinamica/) or PET. As you probbaly know finding non toxic apparel is a daunting task. So im just trying to get some guidence on is this material ok for clothing/shoes/etc?
I agree that finding non toxic apparel is a real challenge! Polyester is a synthetic, petroleum-based product that can offgas and cause irritation in some people. Some polyester is finished with formaldehyde. The information that the Dinamica site provide merely shows that it uses environmentally friendly methods to recycle the polyester, but that doesn’t make it any less toxic. I would stick to natural fibers if possible.