The luxury fashion house releases its first 11-piece vegan and eco-friendly collection in partnership with model Amber Valletta.

Fashion house Karl Lagerfeld has launched its first vegan leather handbag collection made from cactus and organic cotton.

 The label collaborated with 1990s supermodel, actress, and friend of the late fashion mogul, Amber Valletta to debut a vegan version of the iconic K/Kushion bag as part of the Lagerfeld x Amber Valletta collection.

The vegan edition of the K/Kushion bag has been recreated to pay homage to Lagerfeld since the original bag is inspired by a tailor-made cushion that Karl Lagerfeld used to always take on his travels.

The signature design will be available in two eco-friendly material options.

The first is crafted from vegan cactus leather engineered by Desserto in Mexico. The environmentally sustainable and recyclable material is colored with organic pigments and is used for the bag’s pleated and seamless versions

The second K/Kushion style is made from Global Recycle Standard (GRS) certified recycled cotton. The bag is finished with a signature stitching effect in a quilted pattern and a decorative cord detail that’s also made from GRS-certified recycled cotton.

The 11-piece eco-friendly collection also includes a variety of small accessories selected by Valletta, including reusable water bottles, zipper wallets, cardholders, face masks and wash bags.

As part of the collaboration, a portion of the profits will go to The Ocean Cleanup non-profit organization supported by the Fashion Pact – which Karl Lagerfeld signed up to in 2019.

The entire collection—priced between $58 to $470 is available online on Zalando as well as at all Karl Lagerfeld stores worldwide.

 “The collaboration shows that we don’t have to sacrifice great style to make responsibly made fashion,” Valetta, who is currently the first-ever named Sustainability Contributing Editor for British Vogue said.

In a statement, the 47-year-old added: “To see it all coming to life is a great achievement and honour.

“I am convinced that Karl would have loved it. I love being able to continue his legacy – chic, bold and innovative.

“It was exciting to see how thoroughly the Karl Lagerfeld brand is researching sustainable practices and materials.

“They continue to impress me with their knowledge and commitment to design, and producing in a new and conscious way.”

‘Passionate about sustainability’

“Amber has definitely been an amplifier internally to create further excitement and making certain measures more concrete,” Karl Lagerfeld’s CEO, Pier Paolo Righi added.

“We speak the same language and that has a huge impact. She is so literate and so passionate about sustainability, and was able to talk at eye level throughout our organization.”

This vegan capsule collection between Karl Lagerfeld and Amber Valletta is just the beginning of what seems to be an ongoing relationship. A second sustainable collection including ready-to-wear is already planned for spring 2022.

• Read: Vegan cactus leather company wins popular award after teaming up with H&M

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Mohsina Dodhiya

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