RECYCLED COATED FABRICS + WEBBING
The majority of our collection is constructed using materials with recycled content - including PU coated fabrics, recycled polyester webbing + our printed lining made from recycled PET (plastic bottles + textile waste). These fabrics are all certified under either the Global Recycled Standard or Recycled Claim Standard.
BIO-BASED FABRICS
A small yet growing component of our collection is made up of bio-based materials – including pure cotton used in our canvas totes, Mirum by Natural Fiber Welding, Cactus 'leather' from Desserto and Italian Uppeal™ Appleskin.
Organic cactus leather is made from the dried leaves of the Nopal cactus, or Prickly Pear. You can read more about this material here.
Uppeal™ Appleskin is made up of 25% apple material from fruit industry waste + 35% REACH compliant PU, on a poly cotton substrate. Read more about this material here.
ZINC ALLOY + STEEL
Our custom (meaning, we designed, developed + invested in our own metal trimmings) hardware is made from zinc alloy and then plated in a variety of tones depending on the item we are trimming. The plating is a surface layer, and will fade over time depending on skin type, sweat, perfume etc. Our metal chain handbag straps are made from robust + super strong
steel or aluminium.
Animal based leather is an incredibly profitable yet destructive industry. 90% of the world's fashion leather is chrome tanned (the only way to achieve the majority of desired fashion tones in a consistent + cost effective manner) + will not biodegrade.
It is resource intensive, the tanning process is often horrific for the workers in the space, the chemical run off pollutes waterways, and of course, the animal ‘utilised’ is considered a profit centre, not a sentient being who can feel pain, fear + trauma.
We believe in striving for a kinder world, where animals are not exploited for our food or fashion. However, we’re not going to greenwash the situation. We mostly use synthetics in our handbags with a small but growing cohort of biobased fabrics. Plastic polymers ARE a problem in our world + we (the global WE) must work on ways to innovate materials that can biodegrade easily, with no harmful impact to the environment.
Yet, emotions run high when it comes to synthetic leather. When the status of animal hides are challenged, it can often be seen as an afront to the natural order of the fashion establishment. It threatens belief systems that are built on animals being seen as dispensable, 'other' + exploitable.
Polymers are a part of everyday life thus far. White goods, cosmetics packaging, toothbrush bristles, pens, conduits, electronic casings + a myriad of items in our home, office, car....all made from plastics. For good or for bad, they are a part of our world - and figuring out how to recycle them or come up with ways to replace them, should be a central focus for those with the technical know-how to do it.
It is important to note, for fashion handbag construction to have longevity + remain 'good looking' it does generally need to have a coating of some description, and this is typically a polymer of some sort. This is not the end of the story of course - there are developments occurring in the material space that will transform the industry + we are working to fold these new innovations into our collection as we build.
We’d love to invite you to jump on to our Creative Journal+ read more about the research on environmental impact of leather here. If you want to delve further into the psyche of animal exploitation + the unfair treatment of animals for fashion, we recommend reading the excellent book, Fashion Animals, by Joshua Katcher. You can read about our current materials below... it's an ever evolving process and we are committed to keeping our community informed.
RECYCLED COATED FABRICS + WEBBING
The majority of our collection is constructed using materials with recycled content - including PU coated fabrics, recycled polyester webbing + our printed lining made from recycled PET (plastic bottles + textile waste). These fabrics are all certified under either the Global Recycled Standard or Recycled Claim Standard.
BIO-BASED FABRICS
A small yet growing component of our collection is made up of bio-based materials – including pure cotton used in our canvas totes, Mirum by Natural Fiber Welding, Cactus 'leather' from Desserto and Italian Uppeal™ Appleskin.
Organic cactus leather is made from the dried leaves of the Nopal cactus, or Prickly Pear. You can read more about this material here.
Uppeal™ Appleskin is made up of 25% apple material from fruit industry waste + 35% REACH compliant PU, on a poly cotton substrate. Read more about this material here.
ZINC ALLOY + STEEL
Our custom (meaning, we designed, developed + invested in our own metal trimmings) hardware is made from zinc alloy and then plated in a variety of tones depending on the item we are trimming. The plating is a surface layer, and will fade over time depending on skin type, sweat, perfume etc. Our metal chain handbag straps are made from robust + super strong
steel or aluminium.
Animal based leather is an incredibly profitable yet destructive industry. 90% of the world's fashion leather is chrome tanned (the only way to achieve the majority of desired fashion tones in a consistent + cost effective manner) + will not biodegrade.
It is resource intensive, the tanning process is often horrific for the workers in the space, the chemical run off pollutes waterways, and of course, the animal ‘utilised’ is considered a profit centre, not a sentient being who can feel pain, fear + trauma.
We believe in striving for a kinder world, where animals are not exploited for our food or fashion. However, we’re not going to greenwash the situation. We mostly use synthetics in our handbags with a small but growing cohort of biobased fabrics. Plastic polymers ARE a problem in our world + we (the global WE) must work on ways to innovate materials that can biodegrade easily, with no harmful impact to the environment.
Yet, emotions run high when it comes to synthetic leather. When the status of animal hides are challenged, it can often be seen as an afront to the natural order of the fashion establishment. It threatens belief systems that are built on animals being seen as dispensable, 'other' + exploitable.
Polymers are a part of everyday life thus far. White goods, cosmetics packaging, toothbrush bristles, pens, conduits, electronic casings + a myriad of items in our home, office, car....all made from plastics. For good or for bad, they are a part of our world - and figuring out how to recycle them or come up with ways to replace them, should be a central focus for those with the technical know-how to do it.
It is important to note, for fashion handbag construction to have longevity + remain 'good looking' it does generally need to have a coating of some description, and this is typically a polymer of some sort. This is not the end of the story of course - there are developments occurring in the material space that will transform the industry + we are working to fold these new innovations into our collection as we build.
We’d love to invite you to jump on to our Creative Journal+ read more about the research on environmental impact of leather here. If you want to delve further into the psyche of animal exploitation + the unfair treatment of animals for fashion, we recommend reading the excellent book, Fashion Animals, by Joshua Katcher. You can read about our current materials below... it's an ever evolving process and we are committed to keeping our community informed.
Your cart is currently empty.
Free AU/NZ shipping on orders of AU$199+
Free US shipping over AU$300+