Hi everyone, I have been so excited about writing this blog post! You may or not know from reading my previous blog posts that at the moment I am looking into different leather alternatives and different skins. The next one I am going to discuss on my blog is Cork leather. Cork fabric is harvested the Cork Oak tree, this process takes a long time as the tree needs to be 20-25 before it can be harvested. Once the oak is removed from the tree it takes another 6 months to dry out. The cork has to be steamed and boiled and then it will be cut into sheets.
Cork Oak trees are the only trees that do not die once stripped of their bark, it takes the Cork Oak tree approximately 9 years to grow back the bark. There are many benefits to using Cork Oak leather as an eco-friendly substitute to animal leather. During the rebuilding process harvested oak absorbs 3-5 times more Carbon Dioxide, so the use of cork leather is helping to reduce air pollution. It is easily recycled, it is durable and stylish. It also surprised me to learn that cork is waterproof and that is why it is used to secure wine bottles. Cork Oak is very light more than 50% of its volume is air and due to the air it is an elastic material.
Out of all the skins I have researched this particular animal leather replacement seems to be the most popular within the fashion industry currently.
Stella McCartney is massively into sustainable fashion, they have never used any real leather, fur or feathers within their products. She has done many collections using different sustainable materials and is working towards making a change within the fashion industry trying to achieve justice for animals. “As a vegetarian brand, we never use leather, skin, fur or feathers. By taking this stance we are proving it is possible to create beautiful, luxurious products that are better for everyone – animals, people and the environment.” – Stella McCartney.
Another luxury brand which is involved in this current eco trend is Christian Louboutin. However, it is unsure whether Christian Louboutin as a brand is committed to being a fully sustainable brand as some of their products are real leather. In my opinion, every brand has to start somewhere and making Cork Oak leather look that stylish is very impressive! If a brand as desired and loved as Christian Louboutin became a fully sustainable brand it could inspire others to stop buying real leather and real fur. A brand as popular as Louboutin could raise awareness and help reduce animal cruelty with in the fashion industry, as well as this, substitutes to real leather are becoming more and more in fashion and as the demand increases more brands will want to get involved and increase there sales whilst its popular and a must have.
All Things Faux.