This new vegan leather made from cactus, is sure to rock the fashion industry and almost every other market that uses leather products. It’s sustainable, breathable, soft, and luxurious.
For years, good quality vegan leather has been more elusive than fashion-savvy vegans have desired. Products such as olive or pineapple leather were simply not as good as traditional leather. However, this is all set to change.
Two Mexican entrepreneurs, Adrián López Velarde and Marte Cázarez may have solved this problem once and for all with their new vegan leather: Desserto.
Vegan leather made from the prickly pear cactus
This new leather is made from cactus plants — the nopal (or prickly pear) cactus — more specifically. Making leather with cactus instead of cows has a positive impact on the environment. For example, cacti need a lot less water than cows and, of course, no food and roaming space.
Why use cactus to create vegan leather?
Cázarez and López Velarde quit their jobs in order to work on developing Desserto full-time. After two years of research and development, they were able to produce this nopal cactus-based leather.
The pair chose this cactus, in particular, because of its high availability through the Mexican Republic and, therefore, its symbolic representation of Mexicans.
Also, the plant is very easy to grow, as well as easily expandable. Currently, the entrepreneurs grow nopal on 2 hectares of land, and they have an expansion capacity of 40 hectares. This means that if the market for cactus-based leather takes off, this company has plenty of room to grow.
Desserto vegan leather meets industry specifications
And, there’s no reason why the market for cactus-based leather shouldn’t take off. It has passed various technical and mechanical specifications which are required by a host of industries that make use of leather.
The vegan leather has also met standards in the fashion, leather goods, furniture, and automotive industries.
Furthermore, because nopal leather has an organic composition, it is breathable. This, specifically, is one strength of animal leather that other vegan and synthetic alternatives struggle to match.
Desserto vegan leather launched successfully in Milan.
The product launch was at Lineapelle, in Milan, Italy. This is an international leather fair with stiff competition.
This was a successful event for Desserto because many industries and designers showed interest in their sustainable, luxurious material. In fact, it said that it was most suited for luxury brands because of its flexibility, softness, feeling, and color.
This vegan leather is sustainable and boasts a small environmental footprint
Desserto’s sustainability is also very impressive. It boasts a very small environmental footprint due to there being no intensive use of water during its production, as well as a lack of phthalates, toxic chemicals, and PVC.
Our Vegan Thoughts
Preserving our planet and creating sustainable sources is an important aspect in every industry. We feel that Desserto vegan leather is sure to do well in every sector including the fashion industry.
The demand for products that are sustainable is steadily increasing around the world. And, while the fashion industry has been able to escape scrutiny so far, this might be the point at which sustainable fashion becomes much more prevalent.
We can’t wait to see this new vegan leather, and we’re sure it’ll be a hit globally with vegans and non-vegans alike.