Matt & Nat: Beautiful Vegan Leather
In a nutshell:
What do they sell? Vegan leather-look wallets & bags, as well as some toiletry cases and shoes.
Why are they so great? Matt & Nat are committed to not using animal-based materials in any their designs, and where possible, using recycled materials so that their products love rather than exploit the planet & the animals on it.
Matt & Nat believe that fashion and design should be inspired by and therefore respect and celebrate nature, making products that look great, stand the test of time, and avoid the impact of the leather industry.
The full story:
Who is Matt & Nat?
In a story that Wordsworth would find most laudable, Matt & Nat began began life in 1995 in Montreal, as its founders were inspired by the wonder of the natural world. They were inspired by the materials of nature – their beauty as well as their strength – and wanted to explore how MATerial and NATure could come together to make beautiful accessories (see what they did with the name, there?).
Matt & Nat goes by the motto ‘live beautifully’. They want to charge everything they do with
positivity and are constantly striving to make sure what they do doesn’t have a negative impact on the very thing that inspired it. In their own words, ‘living beautifully means appreciating the humanity, creativity and positivity found in all of us.’ From an initial principle of not using any animal produce in their products, they are continuing to experiment with recycled materials including Nylon, cork and rubber. Since 2007, all their linings are made of 100% recycled bottles, and they have recently introduced recycled bicycle tyres into their range.
The only thing left for them to do is to bring out a vegan leather jacket – challenge accepted?
Why is what they do important?
The leather industry, as Lucy Siegle says In To Die For, is ‘one of the most polluting systems humankind has managed to come up with’. One United Nations report stated that keeping & feeding cows (many of which are used for leather) contributes 18% of greenhouse gas emissions and takes up 33% of the world’s arable land. The chemicals used in leather processing have effectively poisoned and killed large stretches of the river Ganges, as well has harming the people working in the leather tanneries along it.
But, I hear you cry, there’s a reason we use it so much – it makes delightful bags and shoes that last years and years. This might be true of the material that finally ends up creating the brogues on your feet or handbag on your arm, but that is only after spending hours soaking in chemicals, and undergoing a process that results in 22 tonnes of toxic chemical sludge being dumped in Kanpur every day, poisoning soil and water for the nearby communities. (Source: Chapter 10, To Die For, Lucy Siegle)
On the other hand, a material that is water resistant, easy to clean, durable, breathable and comfortable, and also looks pretty swish as a rucksack or purse, is a great idea. Enter the innovative and high-potential materials that companies like Matt & Nat are using - they've got all the good bits of leather without any of the nasties. Buying a wallet that you love that will last years rather than months is both better for what’s inside that purse and follows and ethos of slowing down your own consumption and the fast fashion frenzy.
Matt & Nat never compromise on their ethics or on their aesthetics – they are inspired by nature to make things sustainable as much as they are inspired by it to make things look beautiful. And by that, I don’t mean grassy hemp bags awash with mud-green hues. Matt & Nat’s products really are as beautiful on the outside as they are on the inside, and the more widespread use of the materials they promote and the recognition that they make a damn good alternative to leather would be a powerful thing.
Where can I find them?
Shop their sacks, stalk their gram and read their story.
