Our leather, an eco-responsible choice!
If you had to remember only 4 things about our leather:
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All our leathers are from the revaluation of a residue from the agricultural food industry . No cow was bred to make it!
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It is produced in France , in a short circuit , in compliance with some of the strictest environmental and social standards in the world.
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It is a material that is extremely resistant , which will acquire a patina and become more beautiful over time . This makes it possible to make bags and wallets that will be able to accompany you for a long time. It's the complete opposite of fast fashion.
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No other material currently meets these quality and durability criteria.
Why do we favor leather?
Our main reason is quality. Did you know that a cowhide like the one we use is the guarantee of an extremely resistant product over time?
Leather is a very solid natural material, which has unequaled resistance to abrasion and time. Unpigmented leather on the surface, like the ones we use, will even improve with age. It will patina, darken and shine slightly.
Our second reason is the upgrading of waste into a noble and durable product. Indeed, all our leathers come from skin residues from the food industry. No animal was bred to make the leather worked in our workshops.
As long as humans consume meat, milk or wool, it will be necessary to upgrade the skins from these farms. Without this natural and ancestral upcycling, hundreds of tons of hides would have to be processed through an expensive and polluting process of rendering and landfilling or incineration. In order to avoid this waste, the skins are recovered and worked to create a high quality product: leather.
And then, we also work with leather because it is:
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Almost waterproof: even untreated, leather protects your personal belongings from bad weather without its quality being altered.
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Endowed with an exceptional touch : we do not add any synthetic surface pigment, in order to offer you a soft and supple leather. A sensoriality, a roundness and an incomparable touch!
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Repairable : our expertise allows us to offer you the repair of your old products rather than the purchase of new ones. Because that's also responsible consumption, saying no to overconsumption and disposable products.
What about plant-based alternatives and vegan leather?
We must pay attention to the names “vegan leather” or “vegetable leather” which are misuses of language. Leather that is not animal leather does not exist!
However, we fully understand and respect the choice of vegans who do not wish to consume any farmed product. In order not to have to choose between veganism and Made in France, we are working on alternatives to leather for future collections. We are actively looking for other satisfactory materials in terms of durability, resistance, price, quality of touch and flexibility.
Our approach has always been guided by the eco-responsibility of our products and the impact of our brand on the planet. In order not to pollute, we must consume less. And to consume less, you have to invest in sustainable products.
Unfortunately, alternatives to vegan or vegetable-based leathers are not aligned with these core values. They are not synonymous with quality or eco-responsibility.
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Imitation is a product composed mainly of plastic materials derived from petroleum. It is a layer of polyurethane generally applied on a textile base, itself very often in polyester.
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This is also the case for so-called "vegetable or organic" materials, based on apples, grapes, cactus, mushrooms, etc. For these products, 15 to 30% organic matter is added to the polyurethane base. This layer is then applied to a polyester textile base. The overall organic part of the product is very limited compared to the plastic part.
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The durability of textile or faux leather is very low. Its resistance to time and friction will be much lower than that of leather. It is a product that will quickly degrade and age badly, unlike a leather product that will acquire a patina and last much longer. As soon as the thin layer of polyurethane is gone on the friction zones, you will see the textile material appear underneath. The same goes for a canvas bag that will wear out and get holes quickly.
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Recycling faux leather is expensive and complicated: most of the time, these are items that are difficult to repair or upgrade, which will have to be burned or buried.
Alternative materials are generally chosen by fashion players for two reasons:
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These are vegan materials that meet the expectations of those who have adopted this way of life.
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Faux leathers and textiles are worth about 10 times less than genuine leather. Thus, some major brands manage to manufacture in Asia, where the average salary is less than €100 per month, a very functional synthetic canvas backpack at €1.99. This is what we are fighting against.
So, real leather or vegetable alternative?
A genuine leather bag lasts much longer than a faux leather or “apple leather” bag. It will even get better with time! No alternative to leather allows for such durability.
We are constantly on the lookout for new eco-responsible leathers and vegan materials in order to one day find the one that will allow us to offer you acceptable and affordable quality, without compromising our standards and our values.
In this expectation and in order to always limit our ecological impact a little more, we are working in a short circuit. Our leather is produced in an EPV-certified tannery in Occitanie, in a historic leather region. Our tannery works for the biggest luxury brands. For you, this is the guarantee of high quality leather and compliance with some of the most demanding social and environmental standards in the world. The standards for the recovery and filtration of water, the use of dyes, leather foods and other products, and the rules of work (time, hardship, salary, age, etc.) are scrupulously respected.
