Even if you have never heard their name, you will probably recognize their logo: a tiny maxi with a T embedded in it. The initials of Telfar, a U.S. brand that has quickly become a super hype brand, thanks to very close communication with the community and a decidedly defiant price point, with bags that don't exceed $300 and released in drops that sell out in 15 seconds. Bags in vegan materials, at least until now. Yes, because in September Telfar announced, almost twenty years after its founding, the launch of The Carry bag, the first in leather, which will be sold only in their London store.
A choice that revolutionizes their positioning in many ways, both in terms of target audience, which expands to the world of luxury also because of the price (they start at $960), and in terms of material, which marks an evolution in sustainability on the part of the brand.
If in fact, from an ethical point of view, vegan materials are proposed as a viable alternative to leather (although it should be remembered that this is derived from food industry waste, except in the case of precious), on an environmental level leather remains the most sustainable material in the long run, especially when considering the new generation, zero waste leathers.
In fact, alternatives to leather are largely derived from fossil fuels, contain polyurethanes or PVC that make accessories or garments made from plastic or its derivatives very difficult to dispose of, as they take years to degrade releasing toxic chemicals into the environment. And on their durability speak consumers, such as precisely one of Telfar's customers, who had complained about the dire state of his Telfar after only two years of use questioning the use of vegan materials as truly sustainable alternatives, in terms of quality and durability, to leather.
