Our collection of handbags crafted in Italian Uppeal™ Appleskin is growing.

This innovative, bio-based material utilises waste from the apple industry to create a lush leather alternative. 

Bio-based materials are those derived from plants and other renewable agricultural materials. This can be the entire material when developing a vegan leather or a portion of it. Uppeal™ is made of 25% apple waste, with polyurethane included to ensure the fabric is robust + waterproof. Italian company Frumat developed the idea + partnered with manufacturers Mabel Industries to produce Uppeal™ apple 'leather'. 

It begins in South Tyrol, Italy, where waste such as apple skins + cores from products like juices + jams are recovered. Instead of the usual disposal of this waste - by burning to ashes or depositing in landfill - these apple materials are dried, ground + turned into a powder which is laid out + sealed with a resin to create a durable leather alternative.

The technical characteristics + workability of Mabel's Uppeal™ have been developed to be comparable to animal leather, with a carbon footprint approximately 8 times lower than production of animal leather.

The Uppeal™ Appleskin fabric does not require the extreme amounts of water + energy as animal leather to be produced, nor does it require the chemicals used to stop animal skin from decomposing - ie the tanning process that is used for approximately 90% of the world's leather.

While scale continues to challenge bio-based material makers, it's encouraging to see more brands embracing these new materials with each passing year - thus ensuring longevity for what was once considered a niche outlier in the 'leather' space.

The businesses that are developing these materials are pioneers + an iterative process will be required to build on what they've started. We are confident these materials will become mainstream in the coming years.

We have three Uppeal™ apple 'leather' styles currently in the collection - the Transit Day Bag, the Transit Mini + our new Gemini Handbag. Working to bring more bio-based materials in our collection is our goal, and we look forward to keeping you updated on the journey.