REDEFINING FASHION FOR A BETTER WORLD

MATERGEA is a Colombian slow fashion brand that works closely with local artisans. Our products are manufactured with vegan alternatives to leather made from cactus and eco-friendly fabrics.
Nature is our inspiration and guiding principle for our designs. We create our products based on three pillars: respect to Mother Earth, sustainable fashion and craftsmanship added value. 

 

 

VEGAN ALTERNATIVE TO LEATHER

At MATERGEA we use highly sustainable plant-based leather made from cactus. Cruelty free, no toxic chemicals, Phthalates or PVC.
We work with Desserto, the world's first highly sustainable and environmentally friendly organic material made of Nopal cactus.

The top 10 sustainable facts of Desserto® organic cactus :

  1. Biodiversity amelioration in the region.
  2.  Reverts Land Use Change (LUC).
  3. Enrichment of soil micro-flora and micro-fauna through native and typical organic cactus afforestation.
  4. Huge savings in water as no irrigation is applied.
  5. Environmental preservation as no chemicals are used like herbicides or pesticides.
  6. Cactus is left unharmed to enable repeated harvesting from the same plant.
  7. Energy savings by drying the feed-stock in a solarium.
  8. No cross-industry conflict as the byproduct is directed to the food industry in an increased value form which is more attractive, and stimulates the agricultural sector to plant more cactus.
  9. Full vision and traceability of the farm to ensure sustainable social practices.
  10. Technological enhancements at the fields.

 *Credits: Desserto Website page.

TAGUA HANDLES

The handles of some of our handbags are made of Tagua, also known as 'vegetable ivory ´for its color and hardness. Ir is the seed of the palm tree Phytelephas Aequatorialis present in the Amazon and in the subtropical forests of South America. 



ECO-FRIENDLY FABRICS

We use fabrics made from recycled cotton and PET bottles. We also use fabrics that are environmentally friendly made from textile waste as raw materials, preventing them from going to landfills or incineration, giving these materials a longer lifetime. These fabrics are less dependent on virgin resources and save water, energy, carbon emissions and toxic chemicals.

On the other hand we work with Hemp fabrics from Canna Corp. Hemp fiber is a strong and durable fiber from Cannabis. 

Six facts of Hemp fabric:

  1. It is naturally resistant to mold and UV light.
  2. It holds it is shape throughout time.
  3. It is hypoallergenic and non-irritating.
  4. It keeps you cool in summer and warm in winter.
  5.  It is fire resistant.
  6.  It is considered to be one of the most eco-friendly crops out there (more on this in our future posts).
 *Credits: Canna Corp Website page.

CRAFTSMANSHIP ADDED VALUE

At MATERGEA we are aware that 'handmade' takes time, is an art and must be valued as such. Each piece goes through a process of unhurried creation, valuing quality over quantity. 
Our team is made up of  two artisans who are in charge of creating our handbags and one seamstress for the clothing. Every piece is created with love in our Atelier in Bogota, Colombia.

ECOLOGICAL PACKAGING 

The boxes that we use to pack our products are made with sugar cane. The dust bags are made with national 100% natural cotton.