Cork leather is made from the bark of cork oaks. Cork oaks grow naturally in the Mediterranean region of Europe, which produces 80% of the world’s cork, but high-quality cork is now also being grown in China and India. Cork trees must be at least 25 years old before the bark can be harvested and even then, the harvest can only take place once every 9 years. When done by an expert, harvesting the cork from a cork oak does not harm the tree. On the contrary, the removal of sections of the bark stimulates regeneration which extends the life of a tree. A cork oak will produce cork for between two to five hundred years. The cork is hand cut from the tree in planks, dried for six months, boiled in water, flattened and pressed into sheets. A fabric backing is then pressed on the cork sheet, which is bonded by suberin, a naturally occurring adhesive present in the cork. The resulting product is flexible, soft and strong and is the most environmentally friendly ‘vegan leather’ in the market.

Cork leather has a smooth, shiny finish, an appearance which improves over time. It is water resistant, flame resistant and hypoallergenic. Fifty per cent of the volume of cork is air and consequently products made from cork leather are lighter than their leather counterparts. The honeycomb cell structure of cork makes it an excellent insulator: thermally, electrically and acoustically. The high friction coefficient of cork means that it is durable in situations where there is regular rubbing and abrasion, such as the treatment we give our purses and wallets.