CDMX – With the purpose of creating an alternative to animal leather, Adrián López Velarde and Marte Cázarez, both hailing from Mexico, developed vegan leather made with nopal (a cactus), which they successfully showcased in the last edition of the International Leather Fair Lineapelle 2019, which took place in October in Milan, Italy.
The entrepreneurs’ aim was to create a cruelty free, sustainable alternative, without any toxic chemicals, phthalates and PVC. The result, Cactus Leather, is partially biodegradable and has the technical specifications required by the fashion, leather goods, furniture and even automotive industries. Thanks to its high resistance and durability of (minimum) 10 years, this organic, sustainable product can replace the use of animal leather and other synthetic materials that are not environmentally friendly.
After two years of research and work, the creators from Guadalajara, Jalisco, and Aguascalientes could finally finish marketable cactus leather in July. Its trade name is Desserto, and it has competitive features compared to animal or synthetic leather, like elasticity and being customizable and breathable.
Nopal leather: from concept to reality
FashionUnited spoke with Adrián López Velarde, VicePresident of Adriano Di Marti, Desserto, who told us the story behind this vegan leather, its features and where this sustainable venture is headed.
How did you think of cactus-based vegan leather?
I had the idea after working first in the furniture and later in the automotive industry and Marte Cázarez in the fashion industry, where we identified that the problem of environmental pollution was serious. As a result, we were genuinely interested in reducing environmental impact, so we decided to leave our jobs and start Adriano Di Marti, a company to focus on developing Desserto, which nowadays is known as cactus or nopal vegan leather.
Why did you choose cactus or nopal as the main raw material?
The idea of using this raw material was conceived because this plant does not need any water to grow, and there is plenty of it throughout the Mexican Republic. Also, symbolically, it represents all of us Mexicans and everybody knows it. Besides, to be able to incorporate this material to various industries, it is essential to count on a stable, abundant supply of raw material. We currently have 2 hectares where we cultivate nopals, as well as an expansion capacity of 40 hectares. Regarding production capacity, we have 500,000 linear meters a month.
What made you think that nopal could be a good alternative for animal leather?
After two years of research and development we managed to produce a suitable material that complies with the features and technical / mechanical specifications required by those industries that use animal or synthetic leather; also, thanks to its organic composition, it is breathable, which makes cactus or nopal vegan leather similar to animal leather.
An expert at Lineapelle said that our cactus leather is most appropriate for use in the luxury segment thanks to its flexibility, softness, touch and color