THE BEAUTY OF VEGETABLE TANNED LEATHER

Nowadays leather has become an iconic element in fashion. Anyway, not all leather is the same: production can vary in many different ways. One single thing that can actually make the difference is the tanning.

The most common method is chrome tanning, which accounts for 90% of leather produced in the world. On the other hand there's vegetable tanning, covering the remaining 10%.

However, the use of chrome is really dangerous, as it employs polluting chemicals and materials whose impact on the environment is simply disastrous. This is why many brands and people started looking at vegetable tanning processes as a way to reduce the environmental damage and get high-quality products. Using natural elements like tree bark this method guarantees recycling and doesn't endanger nature the same way as chrome tanning.

If we talk about quality, vegetable tanned leather is still winning: it involves a lot of manual labor which has to be performed by skilled craftsmen, ensuring due attention to every single product. This is also why it takes 20 to 40 days to complete vegetable tanning, while chrome tanning industries can finish the process in just one day, even though often they rely on unskilled and underpaid workers in third-world countries, lacking even the most basic workplace safety measures.

The logical consequence of this is that vegetable tanning is more expensive than chrome, but remember: you always get what you pay for, so don't be surprised if the leather jacket you got for fifty bucks starts peeling after only two months.

With top-quality leather, perfection is not flawless, the leather used for Fabros bags like all premium leathers, has some subtle markings caused by the healed nicks and cuts that occur during the life of the animal. These natural markings give each FABROS bag unique beauty and character. The natural markings do not affect durability.

If you're not convinced of the superiority of vegetable tanning yet, just think about the aging profile: over time the vegetable tanned leather’s unique characteristics appear, taking on its own patina as the leather ages. Thats the beauty of vegetable tanned leather!

PERSPECTIVES ON FASHION AND THE LEATHER INDUSTRY

Many organizations have criticized the use of leather in the fashion industry, deeming it as an unnecessary luxury. However, what these people don't take into account is that there isn't just one way of working with leather, as it can be done respectfully and in a fair way. Moreover the leather industry engages a huge number of workers, many of which are highly skilled and have a vast knowledge of their branch.

Nature has provided us with a huge variety of sources to glean from, so we're better off using them, whether they are plants, animals or other materials. What matters the most is being grateful for what we get, by treating it ethically and in an efficient way.

Almost everyone agrees that leather coming from reliable and fair manufacturers is far better than synthetic fabrics produced in some mysterious factory in South-Eastern Asia, where workers have to bear terrible conditions and excessively long shifts. Anyway, many people don't consider this when buying their fashion products, thinking they're making an ethically correct choice while they're actually supporting companies that rely on the overexploitation of their workers.

It would be useless (as well as impossible) to stop the leather industry, as there are millions of people whose lives depend on it; what we should aim for is finding fair production ways and processes. There are many traditional methods of working with leather, which have been handed down from one generation to another and which are still employed nowadays, often in small, familiar contexts. Such ways of working guarantee great, high-quality products without affecting the surrounding environment and giving back to producers the right reward for their hard work.

As with everything in our lives, it's all about choices. To draw a comparison, you can buy free-range chicken meat or battery chickens, forced to live in small cages and pumped with stimulants. In the end, it's up to you, whether it's meat, leather or anything else. Remember that there's a reason behind everything and that your behavior has consequences, which can differ from what you expect.

Try to question your prejudices and face the facts: you can find out that the leather industry isn't the horrific world you imagined.

FABROS - BEHIND THE NAME

Any brand's starting point is its name. So, where does Fabros come from? Well, there's a really interesting story behind it. Read on. You will surely love it.

It all began in Negros, an island of the Philippines, between the 1940s and 50s, when a Danish ship came to the small town of San Carlos in order to get Filipino sugar canes. While they were there, the sailors wanted to attend a Filipino cock fight. Being an illegal activity, it wasn't that easy to find one, so they asked a young Filipino girl for directions.
It that moment, one of the Danish sailors immediately fell in love with the girl. Her name was Carolina Fabros, she was 21 and she lived with her grandparents and siblings. She lived under poor conditions, a consequence of the Japanese invasion of the Philippines that happened some years before. Both her parents had been imprisoned and killed, as her father was a guerrilla fighter, making a stand against the Japanese.

The Danish sailor asked for her address and they started writing each other love letters. They went on for about a year, when he asked her to come to Denmark. In 1962 it finally happened: it certainly was no bed of roses, as he had to sell his car to buy her plane ticket, but finally they were together. They got married in a Catholic church and had 3 children.

When she decided to catch up with her soon-to-be husband, Carolina knew she was leaving her family, which is always a hard choice. Moreover she had to settle down in a place she had never been before, learning a completely new culture with its language and traditions. She firmly believed that following her heart mattered the most: this is why she decided to move to Denmark in order to live with her loved one. Every fear, every worry (which are natural when you decide to start your life anew) were defeated by the prospect of happiness.

It was her faith that kept her going, her belief that there is a purpose in life and that someone up there is watching over us. Faith and belief are essential to go on in life. They allow us to build our future and to make our life better, keeping negative thinking away. Without faith, we always tend to search for someone or something to blame for our misery. When we come to the point of blaming things we cannot control we are actually hurting ourselves, failing to have a clear perception of our own responsibility.

This philosophy is something the Fabros brand still believes in nowadays. The choice of this name is a tribute to a woman who decided to follow her heart when she was just a young girl and who eventually found happiness and love.

THE BALANCING ACT - CAN FASHION BE SUSTAINABLE?

With the fashion market and industry becoming bigger and bigger, many people have come to question the way this system works. Nowadays fashion has its main goal in creating and following seasonal trends, which means that your wardrobe should ideally be renewed every six months. This way fashion can boost sales, producing more clothes.

Big and widespread fashion production often has a huge impact on the environment and on society, especially in poor and developing countries where a significant part of production takes place. The low cost of labor in South-Eastern Asia, Eastern Europe and other zones makes it possible for big companies to sell their clothes at lower prices, making them affordable among customers in rich countries.Another issue of the fashion system is the extreme exploitation of natural resources and underpaid workers. In order to solve this problem, the main goal isn't to avoid using natural resources -that would be impossible- but to use them in a conscious and respectful way.

A first reaction to these problems has been the rise of alternative fashion companies, whose main goal is to make their production process fair and clear to their customers, using eco-friendly materials and reneweable resources. However, these companies have been out of the fashion radar for a long time, being generally considered more focused on being ethically correct than on creating fashionable items which could compete with big fashion companies.

This is when slow fashion came into play. The term, coined by Kate Fletcher in 2007, defines a movement of conscious consumers who defy seasonal trends in order to create long-lasting products in a conscious and ethical way. Buying less items and choosing only brands who clearly explain how they produce clothes are among the cornerstones of slow fashion, alongside with DIY customizing and repairing. Another important aspect of slow fashion is the fostering of research, as a means to find new materials and production methods.

Danish brand Fabros is among the new brands that embrace slow fashion, with its vegetable tanned leather bags. The bags are handmade by expert artisans in Argentine, using superior quality leather and techniques handed down from one generation to another. This attention to every part of production grants long-lasting premium quality items. Transparency is key for Fabros, whose bags pay tribute to nature (appreciating the resources it offers) and craftsmanship.

Another aspect of Fabros' philosophy in making leather bags is the importance education takes on. The customers are able to know how the bags are made and how to take care of them. Moreover, every bag is named after an Argentinian woman whose commitment and courage has changed society, whether she was a teacher, doctor or just a mother, supporting real role models who too often pass unnoticed.

So, can fashion be sustainable? Definitely YES. Brand like Fabros, with their innovative approach to fashion production, are about to question - and consequently change - the whole system.

“Others will follow our footsteps – we need to make sure to leave a positive impact!”

— Fabros

FABROS INSTAGRAM MOMENTS

Gathering our favourite pics from instagram. Thank you to our style bloggers: https://instagram.com/mucstyle, https://instagram.com/ofmiceandmenswear and https://instagram.com/catsanddogsblog

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Christmas Eve. Time to be with family and friends and enjoy the Christmas spirit. Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas!

FABROS BAGS NOW AVAILABLE IN SHOP AND ONLINE STORES

The bags are now available in:

London, United Kingdom
Beverly Hills, Los Angeles
Copenhagen, Denmark

Please contact info@fabros-cph.com for further details on information.

BAG IT UP: FABROS

When I first got an e-mail about Fabros, I didn’t know anything about the brand. But since I’m always looking for special, new and upcoming designers who put an extra amount of effort into their work, I was stoked when Fabros offered CATS & DOGS to work together in order to let more people know about their beautiful, minimalistic bags of Danish design – perhaps your perfect Christmas present?

CARRY IT, FABROS

Fabros! Fabros! As you know from my personal styling Evolution, you might see or realize that I pay more attention now to quality than quantity. Because I realized that after 2-3 years buying whatever bags, I might already spend a lot of money, but in the end I don’t like to carry those bags anymore. If I would save the money and instead of those “trendy but lower quality” bags, I might already have 2 or 3 good and fine quality bags on my hands. Therefore I am more than happy and excited when I got this chance to work with Fabros, to present to you all this Denmark brand.

THE CRUSH: FABROS

Big crush for the products and visuals of Fabros. A beautiful campaign reflecting the intrinsic quality of the brand: sophistication. Definitely, " Less Is More". How not to be seduced ?

A Fabros bag is not just a bag: every piece is a unique and original treasure with its own asperities and differences: that's its value. A little beauty you need to get along with. It is the guarantee of excellence, of pure luxury. But also the imprint of past and future.