Gucci Introduces the Animal-free Demetra: A Luxury Bio-Based Material

New groundbreaking Demetra material is the result of Gucci’s desire to explore and innovate materials for the future. To mark Gucci’s first products made with Demetra luxury green material, three sneaker models – Gucci Basket, Gucci New Ace and Gucci Rhyton – have been introduced.

Few games have had such an impact on street culture as basketball, and now, recalling the high-top sneakers that players wear both on and off the court, Gucci luxury House unveiled the new Gucci Basket lace-up designed by Alessandro Michele. The shoe is made mainly from a new animal-free, eco-friendly material, presented recently by the House, called Demetra, whose name is inspired by the Greek goddess of agriculture and harvest.

The new Gucci Basket sneaker, inspired by the impact that basketball has had on street culture and style, is designe with a distressed effect and bright details. The shoe is made mainly from Demetra, Gucci’s new groundbreaking material that was developed after two years of in-house research and development. Durable, resilient and supple with an eco-friendly ethos, Demetra is created using efficient processes with animal-free raw materials that are primarily from sustainable, renewable, and bio-based sources.

Demetra is made from animal-free raw materials that are primarily from sustainable, renewable and bio-based sources and unlike the majority of innovative new materials, has no impediments to scalability or limitations on volume. Additionally, as part of the House’s next step in supporting a circular economy and through an extension of its Gucci-Up program, Demetra scraps produced during the manufacturing process will be upcycled and reused by Gucci.

Demetra is produced entirely in a Gucci factory in Italy using the same expertise and processes for tanning that give the material its pliable and resilient performance with a supple finish. Its versatility makes it suitable for a wide range of product categories and in the spirit of open innovation, Gucci will make Demetra available to the fashion industry.

“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. Demetra offers our industry an easily scalable, alternative choice and a more sustainable material that also answers theneeds of animal-free solutions.” – Marco Bizzarri, President and CEO of Gucci.

Gucci also unveiled Gucci Tennis 1977, a sneaker that combines different elements from the House’s heritage. The Gucci Tennis 1977 is crafted in white mesh—a material that recalls Gucci’s connection to the world of sports and leisure.