O My Bag is an Amsterdam-based brand that designs sustainably and ethically produced leather bags and accessories. The leather is in fact naturally tanned without the use of harmful substances. Moreover, the founders are committed to connecting artisans in small communities to the global market — creating fair employment opportunities, providing training programmes on skills development and gender equality, and investing in local communities through various social projects.
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 For FW21, they debuted a new collection made entirely from a non-animal alternative to leather. They chose Apple Leather, a durable and low-impact material based on apple waste from the Italian fruit and juice industry.Â
This time, it's not Cinderella's Fairy Godmother who turns the apple into a bag: Apple Leather, whose official name is AppleSkinâ„¢, is produced by Mabel Synthetic, a manufacturer of vegan leather since 1978. In 2010, the company launched AppleSkinâ„¢, a brand new material developed and patented by the Bolzano-based company Frumat.
​ O My Bag is an Amsterdam-based brand that designs sustainably and ethically produced leather bags and accessories. The leather is in fact naturally tanned without the use of harmful substances. Moreover, the founders are committed to connecting artisans in small communities to the global market — creating fair employment opportunities, providing training programmes on skills development and gender equality, and investing in local communities through various social projects.
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 For FW21, they debuted a new collection made entirely from a non-animal alternative to leather. They chose Apple Leather, a durable and low-impact material based on apple waste from the Italian fruit and juice industry.Â
Once the juice has been extracted from the apples, Frumat recovers the residues, such as peels, stems, and fibers, and grinds them into a fine powder. This powder, which accounts for up to 40% of the final product, is mixed with a powder blend of polyester, PU, cotton and viscose, which is essential to give the material strength and durability.Â
The powder is then delivered to Mabel Synthetic, where it is transformed into a liquid state and then pumped into large containers where it is turned back into a solid. The solid material is pressed to give the appearance of fabric, colored and then placed in a large oven to dry. In the final stage of the production process, the interior lining is applied and the material is ready to be pressed, for example with a crocodile print to create their Croco effect leather. Small scraps of material are melted down and reused to make new batches.
Since the material is created as a by-product of the food industry and utilises waste to create something new, it has large environmental savings in resource consumption, land use, and energy. Moreover, the repurposing of the peels keeps them from de-composting and producing methane that affects the climate.Â
The result is a 100% vegan and environmentally friendly material, ready for use in the new O My Bag collection, which has nothing to envy from natural leathers. And not only does it have a beautiful look and feel, but it also becomes slightly darker and develops a light patina over time, just like real leather.Â
 No need to give up looking good, and besides, everyone knows: an apple a day keeps the doctor away!
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Words by Asia Pedron
Read more about fabrics, craft, art, design, and much more in our issue 07. FABRICS
