Our Fabrics
We are very lucky to be able to work with some of the world's finest plant-based textiles so you can keep it cute and cruelty-free without compromising your environmental values! Learn more about these incredible innovations below
Country of origin: Raw material harvested and processed in the Philippines and sent to Spain for finishing
Piñatex
Piñatex® is a sustainably-produced plant based textile, developed according to the principles of a circular economy. The pineapple leaves that form the basis of Piñatex® are the byproduct of existing agriculture, so no additional land, water, fertiliser or pesticides are required to produce the raw material, and by adding value to a waste product provide an additional income stream to pineapple farming communities. No animal products are used at any stage of production, and, in line with the Cradle-to-Cradle® philosophy, production involves no harmful chemicals and minimal water use. The development of Piñatex® provides positive social impact by offering a new, steady income stream for subsistence pineapple farming communities, utilising the leaves of the pineapple plants which have previously been considered a waste product. The pineapple industry globally produces approximately 13 million tonnes of pineapples leaves as a byproduct each year, which are usually discarded to rot or are burned. The farmers are able to sell the fibres from these leaves as a commercially viable proposition, creating an opportunity for sustainable economic development. The biomass left over after fibre extraction can be utilised as a natural fertiliser, or further processed to produce biogas. This innovative textile offers trade and export opportunities for pineapple growing countries around the world, in addition to having a low environmental impact.
Country of origin: Mexico
Desserto® Cactus Leather
The background from the Desserto team: Here in México, in the state of Zacatecas, we have a ranch where we grow our raw material: cactus. At the ranch we select and cut only the mature leaves of the plant without damaging the cactus itself, so every 6-8 months we will have a new harvest. Also, we do not use an irrigation system for the cactus, it grows with rain water and the earth minerals which are rich in Zacatecas and great for the variety of cactus that we plant. The selected cactus is very resilient and strong, it can handle low temperatures during winter without dying and its thorns are very small so it’s easier and safer for our agriculture team to harvest. Within the ranch, after cutting the mature leaves, we dry them under the sun for three days until achieving the exact humidity levels that we seek. So, there’s no oven or additional energy used (like gas) in this drying process. Then we process the organic raw material to make it part of our patented formula which allows us to make the Cactus Vegan-Leather which we call DESSERTO. Please note that the ranch is fully organic, so there are no herbicides nor pesticides used. All the remaining organic cactus material not used in our process is exported and sold nationally in the food industry, so you can imagine how organic and safe our material is.
Country of origin: China
Apple Leather - VEGATEX®
Apple leather is an innovative and highly sustainable hybrid material which integrates organic apple peel waste from juice manufacture, making it an eco friendly leather alternative for those who care about animals and the environment. Certified 66% biobased content.
Country of origin: Italy
Viridis® Corn Leather
The only PU made with renewable resources, Viridis® contains 43% of bio polyols coming from European non-food and GMO-free corn and wheat crops. Viridis® biobased content is equal to 69%, its bio polyols and FSC viscose content makes it the most green product among the synthetic fabrics:
43 % bio polyols, 26 % FSC viscose and 31% normal PU
Viridis® not only has a green origin due to its ingredients but it also shows to be sustainable throughout its entire life. The Life Cycle Assessment evaluated the environmental impacts associated to Viridis® by identifying and quantifying energy and materials used and the waste released into the environment. LCA is an objective and scientific picture that proves Viridis® to be much more sustainable than a traditional PU.
Country of origin: China via Hemp Wholesale Australia
Hemp Organic Cotton Canvas
A new addition to our lineup of textiles is a canvas made from 55% hemp and 45% Organic Cotton. Sourced from China and manufacturing takes place in China, with some of the GOTS certified organic cotton in the blended fabrics originating from Turkey and India. The hemp is grown on farms in the middle or north of China. Henan, Shanxi, Gansu, Heilongjiang province. More information can be found via our Australian based supplier here
Country of origin: various
Coffee Sacks
Instead of using plastic or horse hair based internal fusings for our more structured styles, we prefer to utilise coffee sacks that we source from a local New Zealand coffee roasters. It's always exciting to see stamped on the bag where the beans have come from, so your handbag may have a little piece of Colombia, Papua New Guinea, or Indonesia inside!
Helpfully modelled by our workroom assistant Little b
Country of origin: various
Deadstock
We get our deadstock fabrics from a variety of sources, it is frequently end of roll lengths, surplus or contains flaws that we can work around. The benefit of using deadstock fabrics is ensuring they are put to good use rather than being discarded into landfill or burned. If we can turn them into a long lasting product we consider it a win!
Country of origin: various
Remnants, swatches and scrap
We are lucky to have contacts within the fashion, interiors and film industries who also don't want to see valuable fabrics enter the landfill unnecessarily. The beauty of making accessories means we can work with small pieces of fabric to make limited edition pieces like our Seconde Vie range of hair accessories, and the cute prints inside our bag's pocket linings!