We’re proud to use our In-house plant-based leather,
MelaTex, for all our products.
MelaTex is an innovative and ingenious material made primarily with apple leftovers from the fruit juice industry.
Natural, lively and unrefined with zero negative impact onanimals, people, and our planet.
By using MelaTex, and putting our whole heart into crafting every individual Mela bag, we’re able to deliver gorgeous
and bold designs for a look that is both ethical and timeless.
How is Melatex made?
APPLE CULTIVATION
It all begins at the orchard capital of Europe, South tyrol Italy, with the cultivation of apples destined for the food & juicing industry.
APPLE LEFTOVERS
The harvested apples are used to make juices, jams, and other food products. If the leftovers aren't used, they're destroyedor end up in landfills.
UPCYCLING
Did you know that apple leftovers are ideal for up-cycling? Well, they are. And that’s what we do!
APPLE POWDER
Apple Leftovers from the food chain are then recovered — and given new life in the form of apple powder through an innovative technique . Revolutionary!
Apple leftovers are estimated to be about
30,000 tons — insane!
MELATEX PRODUCTION
The Apple powder is then mixed & cured with other natural biopolymers on recycled textile sheets, to create a 100% sustainable material that doesn’t use any by-products.
The result? Durable, sustainable,
cruelty-free, vegan products.
Did you know that 1 linear meter of MelaTex™ uses approximately 5 upcycled apples?! Pretty wild!
Our Mela bags are handmade in small batches by talented artisans in Florence, Tuscany in a small family-owned
factory that’s been in business for over 50 years.
Carbon footprint is a priority to us — so streamlining our production process comes first.
That’s why we’re ecstatic that our MelaTex provider is literally right down the road from our factory helping usto offset our carbon footprint. It doesn’t get much better than that!
