Vegan Leather Made From Cactus Is Now a Thing and We’re Obsessed

|Updated Jun 30, 2020

Instagram / @desserto.pelle

Some of your finest life memories may involve a family trip to the Grand Canyon, with pit stops in Flagstaff, Phoenix, and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum outside of Tucson, where mom stumbled backward toward the columnar cactus and yelped like a hyena. Or perhaps there was that Mexico City tour where you saw dozens upon dozens of cacti and your tour guide even cracked one open and drank from it. Maybe cacti’s presence in your life is relegated simply to that windowsill plant that’s endured two cross-country moves with you.

Wherever you may fall in your love for these desert plants on the succulent spectrum, we’re guessing you likely don’t think of the family of plants as a hot cruelty-free accessory material. DESSERTO, a cactus vegan leather company—which makes handbags, footwear, and garments—is poised to change that.

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When a recent piece from Designboom popped into our field of vision, we were amazed to learn about DESSERTO, an incredibly eco-friendly vegan-leather created from cactus, that boasts “great softness to touch while offering great performance for a wide variety of applications and complying with the most rigorous quality and environmental standards,” per the article. Additionally, the material does not contain any toxic chemicals, phthalates, or PVC, a popular plastic that’s very detrimental for the environment.

The brand was founded by two Mexican entrepreneurs, Adrián López Velarde and Marte Cázarez, who came up with the idea after spending time working in the furniture, automotive, and fashion industries and seeing firsthand the impact of environmental pollution. As a result, they left their jobs and set out to make a vegan leather made from cactus (also known as nopal). Learn more about the backstory and get to know how the company makes an environmental impact below.

Visit their website here or email INFO@DESSERTO.COM.MX for more information. We think it’s safe to say for the first time ever, we’re excited to get our hands on a cactus—sans pricks!