Cactus Leather
As fashion moves more and more away from using animal-sourced leathers, a new innovation is sparking inspiration. Andriano Di Marti Company has developed Desserto, a sustainable cactus-based alternative. Partnering with brands in luxury fashion, shoes, home furniture, and more, this leather altnertive is already popularly used in many industries.
One of the most inspiring areas of the fashion industry to me is textile innovation to increase sustainability. It’s no shocker that animal leathers are not only not good for the environment or a sustainable source, but in many people’s view also feels cruel. One of the main appeals to wearing animal leathers (i.e. from a cow) is the durability, along with warmth and comfort. Due to durability, leather pieces often have a very long life-span in how long they can be worn, which in terms of sustainability can be a plus. Poly-based leather alternatives conquered the break away from the cruelty side of animal leathers, but did nothing, if not worse harm in regards to sustainability and environmental damage. So how we combat both? Reading into the story of Desserto, the Andriano Di Marti Company stemmed this innovation between two men named Adrián López Velarde and Marte Cázarez.
See their history here.
Between the two of these men lies years of experience in furniture, automotive, and fashion industries. With a desire to delveop a vegan, environmentally proactive material to assist all of these industries (and more), they have now developed multiple cactus based materials. As a fashion-industry native and enthusiast, I was excited to see partnerships with Off-White, Givenchy, Onitsuka Tiger, and more. See examples of Desserto here.
