Why using overproduction leather? What does it mean to 'regenerate' leather? How and why is MUTH ® a sustainable project?
As tanners, we have always known the 'behind the scenes' of the world of fashion industry; a glittering world in which Italy has always stood out for quality and creativity.
But we also see how fashion industry runs at very high speed, leaving behind a trail of contradictions.
Tons of high-quality leather remain unsold every year. A large amount of water, energy and labor are used to produce it. Then it's forgotten in the storage warehouses and a large part of them will eventually go to waste.
We have been living decades of addiction to 'fast fashion': low-cost fashion based on cheap labor. Even the expression 'Made in Italy' has lost some appeal. More and more famous italian brands are indeed 'designed' in Italy but produced in third-world countries: the value of a Made in Italy brand is increasingly likely to be distorted compared to the real quality of the product, for which we have become famous around the world. Not only that, we lose an entire chain of artisanal skills, a know-how that risks to disappear forever.
We believe that there is no such thing as low-cost fashion: because someone in the end pays that cost and very often it is the environment and the workers.
Therefore we have chosen to put our experience in the leather industry at the service of a countercurrent idea. Instead of producing more leather which will then remain partly unsold, we use what is already there. This way we will have a limited range of colors and finishes available but this is not a problem for us; we are not a multinational with millions of pieces to sell.
We are a small independent and artisanal company and we work only with expert leather craftsmen. Each of our collections is indeed 'limited edition'.
Our leather gets 'regenerated'; it has never been used, it is not exactly recycled. In English it is called 'upcycling': more than recycling it is a creative transformation.
We do it in house: we select the most beautiful leathers in the colors available. We clean them, check them carefully and apply a light mechanical ironing to restore the leather to its original state.
But why focus on leather? Why not use a more animal-friendly material?
This is a long-standing debate. In reality, leather was the first recycled material in history; it is in fact by definition a by-product of the meat industry. In Europe, by law, animals cannot be raised and slaughtered just to produce leather. So no meat=no leather. In addition, the so-called vegan alternatives are more polluting because they are made of PVC, are not fully biodegradable and are responsible for the release of various harmful toxins into the environment.
In addition being tanners is our tradition and our identity; we want to use our experience in a new way for handcrafting quality bags and accessories made to last.
Why our prices are not rock bottom, since we only use 'regenerated' leather?
We do not encourage cheap labor. We only produce by hand in Italy. We believe that the time has come to change course and give back to Made in Italy the value it deserves, bringing the quality of the product more than the 'special effects' of a brand back to the center of the creative process. We want to create bags and accessories that are beautiful, carefully made, durable.
'Luxury' for us stands for high quality: it can be accessible thanks to a new way of producing and selling.
MUTH ® has decided to eliminate intermediaries. All collections can only be purchased online. During the course of the year we will offer our customers specific promotions for the launch of new products and for special events.