French designers create vegan leather designer bags made from cork

Image: A R S A Y O

Mohsina Dodhiya3rd September 20209th October 2020Environment, Fashion and Beauty, News

‘We want to set an example for the fashion industry, and show that animals shouldn’t be harmed for fashion’

Designer siblings following in their father’s footsteps have created a new collection of bags using ‘a brand new innovative vegan alternative to exotic leather’-cork.

According to the Paris based brand – Arsayo (derived from the names of the 3 siblings- (Ary, Sabine and Yoni-2 brothers and a sister), the upcycled cork fabric used to manufacture the bags is sustainable, ethical and cruelty-free. The material also makes the bags water-resistant, organic, lightweight and easy to clean.

Banner

The new ‘Snake & Croc’ collection features 2 unisex backpacks: ‘Snake Skin Cork’ and ‘Cork-odile’ to resemble animal materials and is available in 5 different colours and 3 sizes to ensure the perfect fit for anyone.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by A R S A Y O (@arsayoparis)

‘Tribute to the beauty of exotic animals’

The new collection, which took more than a year to make is described as “a tribute to the beauty of exotic animals with the respect of their life and environment,” and addresses “the increased demand for sustainable, animal-free exotic leather alternatives.”

The new collection is available to pre-order now from £199 and will arrive in time for Christmas.

Jonathan Ohayon, Co-Founder of Arsayo said: “This new exclusive alternative is a tribute to the beauty of amazing exotic animals with the respect of their life and our environment. We want to set an example for the fashion industry, and show that animals shouldn’t be harmed for fashion.

Ethical business

His brother Ary Ohayon added: “Ethics drives us. We chose cork for ethical reasons, as we wanted to crea†e a bag which does not harm animals or the planet, and decided to start our new collection with a pre-order system for the same reasons.”

He added that the brand in addition to the pre-order system also eliminated the middleman in an effort to offer its designs at affordable price points.

Banner

“In the conventional fashion industry, designers start by producing their creations and sell them to retailers who mark them up significantly. In the end, you will pay the strong final price. With the pre-order system, we will only produce according to the demand, and since we cut out the middleman, you will pay less,” he said.