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Vegan Leather Alternative Celium Walks New York Fashion Week Runway

By Vegans Explore · Sep 29, 2026

New York Fashion Week just gave Vegans another reason to feel good about what showed up on the runway. Three looks in designer Patricio Campillo's Spring 2027 collection were made not from leather, but from Celium, a material grown by bacteria rather than taken from an animal.

The collection, titled "In Medias Res," was shown on September 13 at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, marking Campillo's fifth season presenting at New York Fashion Week. The Mexico City based label built the collection around Mexican identity, craftsmanship and Charro culture, drawing its color story from the hues of sunrise and sunset.

The Celium came from Polybion, a Mexican biomaterials company that grows the cellulose based material from agricultural leftovers rather than animal hides. Two versions appeared on the runway: the translucent, lightweight Celium Manto, and the denser, more textured Celium Espumante. The standout was Campillo's closing look, a matching red jacket and bell bottom trouser set that read as leather from across the room but was entirely bacteria grown.

It fits a broader shift already underway in fashion, where bacteria grown and plant based materials are moving from lab samples to full runway pieces built at real scale and with real craftsmanship, not just small accessories or swatches.

For Vegans living in or visiting New York, it is a sign that cruelty free materials are no longer a niche corner of fashion, they can hold their own on one of the biggest runways in the world. Vegans looking for more cruelty free fashion, food and community in New York can find it in the Vegans Explore Directory.

First reported by Vegconomist

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