MATT + NAT MAKES VEGAN LEATHER HANDBAGS FROM APPLE WASTE
Vegan accessory brand Matt + Nat as of late dispatched its first handbag collection highlighting a new bio-based vegan leather produced using the waste recovered from the fruit juice industry.
“After an abundance of research, sweat, and tears, it’s finally here-The collection of all collections –
One that is like no other and will blow your mind,” Matt + Nat President and CEO Manny Kohli posted on Instagram. “Discover a collection that pushes all boundaries and takes ‘an apple a day’ to a whole other level.”
The vegan leather, called AppleSkin, is an inventive material licensed by Italy-based company Frumat.
Made in Italy from apples grown in Bolzano, a city in the country’s northern district.
AppleSkin is created by recovering the soft mash—pulp of cellulose fibers from the skin and core—leftover from juicing apples on an industrial scale, which would otherwise be discarded.
Though the precise process of making AppleSkin is a trade secret, we do realize that the cellulose is made into a powder and used to lessen the measure of virgin materials needed to make the vegan leather.
The resulting AppleSkin is approximately 20 to 30 percent apple.
Fewer virgin materials imply less natural resources are extracted from the planet, and lower emissions and energy utilization across the whole production network.
Matt + Nat joined forces with Frumat to make its new Studio 901 assortment which highlights handbags with an AppleSkin outer body and—as with all Matt + Nat bags—interior linings made from 100-percent recycled water bottles.
The collection highlights 12 handbags, including a rucksack, small scale bag, pail sack, and handbag in dark, brown, and green tones.
Vegan apple leather makes fashion, design, furniture, and vehicles more practical.
As of late, increasingly more design and furniture brands are increasing their sustainability endeavors by making items utilizing materials from upcycled or reused plants and materials.
While corporations are using plant-based choices utilizing cactus, pineapple, and mushrooms, apple-based vegan leather is an adaptable material that has been utilized in various enterprises.
Last year, Canadian furniture designer Gus* Modern included couches and lounge chairs made with innovative vegan AppleSkin in its Fall 2020 collection.
“This new bio-based material saves apple peels and cores from going to landfills and is a harmonious addition to our other eco-friendly options such as Forest Stewardship Council-Certified wood and cushion fill made from recycled plastic bottles,” Anthony Santino, Vice President of Sales at Gus* Design Group, said in a statement.