Is it leather? Writes on LinkedIn: My neighbor recently had one of those “wait, what?” moments — the kind that stops you mid-thought.

He wore a sleek “leather” jacket to a concert with us the other week. It looked the part. He wore it well. It felt convincing. But I couldn’t help myself and asked if it was real leather. He responded “Absolutely, the tag says it’s vegan and ecofriendly!”

Obviously my alarm bells went off – and I had to break the news to him that it wasn’t leather at all. Not even close. It was plastic — just dressed up with fancy words.

I felt bad ruining his illusion – but look, he is certainly not alone.

So many of today’s materials are built to look like quality but fall apart under scrutiny. What’s marketed as “plant-based” or “eco-leather” often contains more petroleum than plants. These materials lean heavily on 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻𝘄𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 — using sustainability buzzwords to sell products that are anything but sustainable.

It’s easy to get fooled. The branding is good. It looks real. But eventually, surface-level shine fades — and what’s left tells a different story. Peeling, cracking, and a short life cycle aren’t signs of quality. They’re signs of compromise.

Meanwhile, genuine leather stands in quiet contrast. It doesn’t need fancy marketing terms. It performs. It lasts. It evolves over time.

The lesson? 𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆. Materials should be judged by what they are, not just how they’re marketed. And as consumers, we need to look past the labels and into the lifecycle, the source, and the substance of what we wear.

Let’s challenge ourselves (and the brands we support) to do better. Not just for style. Not just for sustainability. But for honesty.
Because the jacket my neighbor was so proud of and thought was a win for the planet – turned out to be just plastic in disguise.