WHY WE DON’T USE ANIMAL LEATHER
Animal based leather is an incredibly profitable yet destructive industry. 90% of the worlds 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 cactus material from Desserto in Mexico. 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.
However, polymers are a part of everyday life thus far. We know that people are not overly inclined to fuss about their white goods, cosmetics packaging, toothbrush bristles, pens + a myriad of items in their home or office, made from plastics.
Yet, when the status of leather is challenged, it can often be seen as an afront to the natural order of the fashion establishment – because, quelle horreur, the alternative is often a synthetic.
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.
We’d love to invite you to jump on to our Creature Blog + 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.
