Legacy Leather Brand Launches a Line of Sustainable Cactus Leather Bags

Fossil is joining the growing ranks of fashion brands in diverting from classic animal materials by launching a range of fully plant-based cactus leather tote bags. The legacy watch brand is deviating from its usual product to introduce the Kier Cactus Leather Totes sourced from cactus leather made in Mexico by the brand Desserto. The new totes will feature moss, wine, brown, and brown options priced at $298 each.

When learning about Desserto’s caucus leather, we were not only excited by the versatility, durability, and luxurious feel of the material itself, but also the incredible process by which it’s made–free of irrigation, herbicides, and pesticide and dried in the sun,” a Fossil spokesperson told VegNews. “We were so inspired by their incredibly energy-efficient process as well as the passion behind Dessrto’s mission of creating sustainable solutions.”

The brand pledged to shift its company toward more sustainable practices after initiating its Make Time for Good sustainability commitment. Fossil is actively attempting to source its materials from more eco-friendly manufacturers. Over two years, Fossil developed the Kier Cactus Leather Totes range with Desserto leather's far more sustainable leather product, made from organically grown nopal leaves rather than animal skin. The tote bag saves 7.5 liters of water per tote in its production process, lowering both the company’s carbon and water footprint.

“Many of our customers are looking to make more sustainable changes in their day-to-day life and in their fashion choices,” a Fossil spokesperson said. “We were excited to find a vegan alternative that is still relatively new to the fashion industry: cactus leather. We were not only excited by the versatility and luxurious feel of the material itself, but also the incredible process by which it’s made.”

Entrepreneurs Adrian Lopez Verlade and Marte Cazarez quit their jobs in 2017 to develop their brand Desserto. The two innovators revealed their vegan material at the International Leather Fair Lineapelle in Milan, Italy after only two years of development. Following its international debut, more and more companies have started to use the pair’s revolutionary fashion material. The athletic brand Sanabul released its “Los Cactus” range of boxing gloves made from vegan cactus leather last year. Fashion giant H&M also introduced its Science Story collection across the United States and Canada, incorporated Desserto cactus leather into a large selection of clothing items and accessories.

Over the last year, several leading fashion companies moved to include plant-based leather in their new clothes and shoes. Earlier this year, Adidas announced that it would use mushroom leather while Nike launched its first pair of SB Dunks made from vegan leather. The entire fashion market is adopting vegan leather as a viable material. Fossil plans to keep using Desserto in its future ranges, aiming to maintain its commitment to sustainability.