Leather goods and clothing items have commonly been tagged as taboo in the fashion industry after the early 2000s, when leather was pushed out of stores and opted for pleather, a fabric made of polyurethane. Wearing leather, especially leather purchased new, was frowned upon unless gifted or found at an overpriced vintage shop, and it was (and still is) rare to see brands proudly using leather in their collections. But today, a select few brands are approaching the leather industry differently, and beginning to put a new spin on what it previously stood for. Take for example Piper & Skye, a Brazilian brand putting a twist on what we know of leather today.
Balancing Sustainability and Ethics
There's no denying that when it comes to the production of leather goods, the question of ethics will always arise, hence the industry's recent infatuation with faux textiles. However, the use of PVC and microplastics in said textiles poses a whole separate issue of its own, and while certainly more ethical, may be arguably as detrimental to the environment. "...despite vegan alternatives being thought to have a lower impact on the environment than the real thing, it does have clear drawbacks, particularly when it’s made from plastic. Clothing made from plastic can pose a threat during and after its lifespan because it could end up in water or landfill. This takes years to degrade and releases toxic chemicals into the environment, which is unsustainable," wrote Jessica Davis for Harper's Bazaar. It’s estimated that 13 million tons of synthetic fibres enter our oceans annually, and these numbers are only increasing as fast fashion monopolies are further enabled in the realm of mass production.
via Piper & Skye
But then again, we have to consider the weight that comes with deriving and producing authentic leather goods, a balance that Piper & Skye bravely took on. The brand uses Pirarucu Leather for what they've coined the "Epitome of Sustainability." These fish have a long history in the Amazon area as a dietary staple, though the skins have historically been regarded as a food bi-product and discarded and sent to landfills instead of being put to use. By using resources that are already eve liable to us and repurposing them into Piper & Skye's increasingly recognized bags (also seen in Marie Claire, Forbes, Vanity Fair, GQ, and WWD), we're given an opportunity to minimize waste.
Navigating Transparency
Piper and Skye use selection criteria to ensure the quality of their product's quality and actively try to embody what sustainability means to them. They aim to create and produce handbags with the most negligible environmental impact. Some of their criteria for sourcing these fish include being a food bi-product, overpopulated in its species, or being considered an invasive species, which dramatically decreases the possibility of the fish going to waste as well as undue suffering, a very different approach than a large amount of the traditional leather industry. They source sustainably, utilizing suppliers that understand and align with their ethics, reducing chemicals and hazardous waste.
Their Sustainability Sourcing and Environmental Policies are all accessible to the public, nodding to the importance of transparency. Now, we don't expect you to read all of these various documents, but we did, and here are the main takeaways:
Piper and Skye remains open when confronting their Business policies. They understand why they take these actions and why they are essential to our planet and prioritize educating others. Not only care about where they are sourcing this leather and the process of making these bags, but the policies within their walls, such as their energy use in their offices, employee traveling, waste management product delivery, and even eliminating single-use plastics in their offices, still considering everything that comes with running a large scale luxury business. Not to mention they sincerely care for human and animal rights when operating their business. One of their most extensive understandings is having a responsibility to care for the planet, working with suppliers that align with their goals of supporting and creating biodiversity.
By Ani Grigsby
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