Vegan leather pieces from Deadly Ponies Cactus capsule collection. Images supplied.
Deadly Ponies have taken another sustainable step forward with the release of a capsule collection made from plant-based vegan leather. It’s a first for the brand and Deadly Ponies are excited to present the innovative collection appropriately called Cactus, as it’s crafted from plant-based Nopal Textile – a newly developed vegan cactus leather. It has been two years in the making, and interestingly the material is a by-product of the pharmaceutical industry, using only natural rainfall and the sun, as energy sources.
“Customers have been asking us for a while to create a vegan product. This is something we have wanted to achieve, but have faced a number of challenges finding a sustainable leather alternative,” says Creative Director, Liam Bowden. “Most vegan leathers are produced using synthetic materials that don’t biodegrade, are produced with toxic chemicals and require higher water consumption in the manufacturing. When we entered into the project we wanted to make sure we were taking those things into consideration.”
Nopal Textile is sourced from an organic cactus plantation in Mexico, only the mature leaves are harvested to ensure sustainable plant regeneration – with the pulp used for medicinal purposes. The nopal cactus leaves are then sun-dried, before being processed into the organic cactus leather which is suitable for making bags. Deadly Ponies have always had exacting standards for their beloved products and the team worked closely with their supplier to produce a plant-based leather that met Deadly Ponies strict design and manufacturing specifications. The result is an exciting new vegan leather which meets the standard of the iconic texture and quality of the brand’s existing leathers.
“This new material had to be totally sustainable, but also achieve a similar look and feel to our more classic leather finishes that our products are known for. It took another year of development to achieve the perfect composition,” adds Bowden.
Each piece from the Cactus range was handcrafted by Deadly Ponies’ amazing artisans at their custom-built eco atelier. For this first release in vegan leather the brand has gone from perennial favourites Mr Siamese, Mr Mini Leopard and Mr Mini Chain Mail.
The inaugural Cactus collection is available exclusively online and in Deadly Ponies’ stores.
Images supplied.