Portuguese Cork Leather

I recently began working with Portuguese cork leather. At first, I was curious but not convinced that it

would be the right material from which to construct my handbags. As I learned more about it, I

thought I would give it a try. Let's just say, I was more than pleasantly surprised. Not only is it a delight

to work with, it produces such a lovely product: soft, light, pliable and yet incredibly durable. Still

unsure about cork leather? Let me break it down for you with some bullet points:

~ Cork is the bark of the cork oak tree, manually removed every nine years without damaging the trunk, making it a highly sustainable resource.

~ Cork is water resistant, keeping your valuables safe even in the most adverse weather conditions.

~ Cork is wear and tear resistant and highly abrasion resistant.

~ Cork is easily cleaned with soap and water.

~ Cork is incredibly light: half of cork's volume is air, which makes it very light and buoyant.

~ Cork is practically impermeable to liquids and gases.

~ Cork is one of the most renewable and eco-friendly resources on the planet.

~ Every time a cork oak tree is harvested, it absorbs three to five times more CO2 to aid in the bark’s regeneration process.

~ Supporting cork is supporting nature: the financial viability of cork and its growers helps provide long-term protection for a unique and fragile ecosystem—the cork oak forest—a habitat for rare and endangered species, like the Iberian lynx and home to enormous forest biodiversity.

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