ECO-FRIENDLY PURSES

Our sustainable purses are made from eco-friendly cork leather. While cork leather is 100% vegan, it’s not to be confused with the popular “vegan leather” which often contains PVC and other synthetic materials.

Is cork leather eco-friendly?

Cork is one of the most eco-friendly materials on our planet! Cork is both renewable and biodegradable. Laflore’s cork leather is made from cork bark, which is sustainable and actually helps the environment instead of harming it.

When cork trees are stripped of their bark, they can absorb enormous amounts of carbon dioxide and release even more oxygen.

Additionally, this process helps protect the surrounding biodiversity of the forests.

Cork trees live for over 200 years, they are never cut down, and the cork bark regenerates every 9-12 years.

What about harmful dyes and coatings?

Is the entire Laflore line of accessories vegan?

Our eco-friendly bags are 100% PVC free, 100% vegan, PETA approved, and cruelty-free.

We also don’t use any harmful chemical coatings or dyes on our bags. We’re especially careful to avoid any materials including PVC due to the toxic dioxins that PVC releases into our atmosphere.

We understand that manufacturing eco-friendly products is only half of the battle. In order to live a sustainable lifestyle, we need to focus on reducing our waste. Our zero waste vision is to scale up production sustainably while never producing more than we need.

Before manufacturing began, we launched a bobobark Kickstarter so we could have a concrete number of how many purses we needed to manufacture. This ensured we didn't overproduce our products and waste precious resources.

We were blown away by the demand, with over 10,000 bobobark orders placed. It's a tall order, but we’ve been able to continually innovate since launching bobobark.

The lining of bobobark is now made with 100% recycled cotton. We also use recyclable and compostable packaging made from natural jute fiber.

Additionally, we try our best to not let any extra parts go to waste. We fix and recycle bobobark products at the workshop. We save any functional parts we can such as frames, rings, and cork leather and repurpose them into new products.

It's not enough to stay complacent where you are, so we're constantly looking for ways to contribute to sustainability and reduce our carbon footprint. If you ever have any suggestions on how we can improve, please never hesitate to contact us.

What does the Laflore manufacturing process look like?

Our products are proudly handmade in China.

End the Stigma

There's a lot of stigma that comes along with "Made in China" labels, but we'd like to put an end to that line of thinking.

We met with manufacturing partners all over the world to see who could help bring our vision of a handmade, eco-friendly, and vegan luxury purse to life. We had high requirements for our partners. They had to have the experience and ability to work with cork leather, have skilled artisans capable of handcrafting our unique designs, keep up with our high worldwide demand, and of course, ensure our cruelty-free and eco-friendly processes were followed.

After a long search, it was our Chinese partners who were able to meet our standards and believed in our vision.

Handmade Luxury

No mass producing here. While we do have a high demand for Laflore products, we refuse to compromise on our ethics. Our handbags and accessories are still handcrafted by skilled artisans using the same high quality eco-friendly materials we always have.

We don't use the term "artisan" lightly. We only work with skilled craftsmen and craftswomen who have extreme attention to detail and experience working with handmade items.

Do you help any charities or organizations committed to making the world a better place? 

Laflore is committed to supporting those who are affected by environmental issues. We are partnering up with the Red Cross to support the communities that are most vulnerable to climate change. 10% of our online sales are donated to the Red Cross in support of this cause.

Safe & Fair Working Conditions

Our workers earn a fair wage and have ethical working conditions. In fact, Elie lived in China at the workshop for over a month to ensure the operation was running smoothly. Our artisans use sewing machines, cutting stations, scissors, screws, and screwdrivers. No dangerous machinery is ever used by our workers.

We hope that you’ll join us to help end the stigma attached to “Made in China” labels. In our case, we’ve partnered with a long-time friend who is a pioneer in eco-friendly and sustainable craftsmanship. We’re proud of our choice, because we made it on quality and results, not on prejudice.   

Making sustainable choices starts with making the most of what you have. We practice what we preach by reusing and recycling the bobobark components at our workshops and from any bobobark products returned from customers.

How is bobobark decreasing the cost-per-wear for our customers?

We believe the most sustainable bag is the one you do not have to replace.

That’s why we've ensured that all Laflore products are as durable as possible. The straps of our handbags are coated with polyurethane (PU) to increase durability without sacrificing our environmentally-friendly vision. Many vegan leathers are made with resins and PVC, but PU is a more eco-friendly alternative to PVC that’s just as long-lasting.

In the event your bobobark or bebebark starts to show some wear and tear, you can purchase affordable replacement parts like straps and rings. We have training videos available that show you how to repair your convertible backpack yourself for a fraction of the price and fraction of the waste. We believe it’s essential for our customers to have the option to fix and reuse their handbag instead of replacing it.

The bobobark is a convertible backpack purse, which allows you to enjoy 3 bags for the price of one. You can easily convert your bobobark to a backpack, handbag, and briefcase in a matter of seconds. This makes the bobobark ideal for minimalist enthusiasts who prefer to have multi-use products or zero-waste warriors trying to limit their consumption.

 We also offer resources on how to care for your Laflore organic bags so that you can keep them strong and durable for years to come. If the sad time comes when it's time to bid adieu to your bobobark, then you'll be happy to know that cork leather is biodegradable. 

At Laflore, we believe that you should never have to choose between fashion and sustainability. Check out our selection of affordable vegan purses and see that you don’t have to compromise between protecting the earth and indulging in fashion.