What If Your Next Designer Bag Came From a Vineyard? Find out how and who is behind it
In the heart of Provence, where vineyards stretch endlessly under the Mediterranean sun, an innovation is quietly fermenting—though not in the way you’d expect. Samantha Mureau, founder of Planet of Grapes, is turning the overlooked waste of 35 vineyards into something the world desperately needs: sustainable, next-generation materials.
Every harvest, winemaking leaves behind mountains of grape skins, stems, and seeds. Traditionally discarded or used in limited ways, this biomass often becomes a burden. Samantha saw an opportunity to rewrite that story. Working hand-in-hand with L’Association of Vignerons of Saint Victoire, led by vineyard expert Jean-Jacques Balikian, she’s building an eco-collective that transforms grape waste into usable resources—with one groundbreaking focus: grape leather.
This leather alternative, developed in partnership with material scientists like Agnès Thomasset and her ITECH team, isn’t just a novel concept—it’s part of a seismic shift in how fashion and design source their raw materials. Instead of animal hides or petroleum-based synthetics, grape leather offers a vegan, circular solution born directly from agriculture. Imagine handbags, shoes, or upholstery crafted not from exploitation, but from what once was waste.
Guided by green chemist advocate Steve Block, Samantha is ensuring the science behind Planet of Grapes is as clean as its mission. His mentorship is helping steer the project through the complex world of biochemistry, so the material isn’t only sustainable but also scalable—capable of standing toe-to-toe with traditional leathers in performance and feel.
The implications are enormous. For fashion houses under pressure to prove their sustainability commitments, grape leather offers a path forward that is both luxurious and ethical. For the wine industry, it creates a circular economy model, where waste becomes wealth. And for the planet, it represents a tangible step toward reducing reliance on harmful materials.
Samantha Mureau’s Planet of Grapes is more than innovation—it’s vision. By rethinking what we throw away, she’s proving that the future of luxury can be grown in vineyards, not factories. And that’s exactly the kind of disruption Clèco loves to celebrate.
