The curious case of Telfar, which moved from cruelty-free production to real leather

Telfar launches its first real leather bag. The creator of the Bushwick Birkin lands in London, where the new The Carry made its debut with a store pop-ups from Selfridges and is available, only in the dedicated physical space, from 30 September to 2 November, at a price four times higher than the brand’s synthetic material line (£391 small, £591 medium and £953 large).

It is a real change of direction for a brand that was born with a DNA cruelty-free, democratic and accessible and with an exclusively online sales model that predicts drop limited series for 24 hours only.

For those who don’t know him (we told you about him here), Telfar is the unisex brandfounded in New York in 2005 by Telfar Clemens, who did of inclusiveness its own flag. The Birkin of those who come from Bushwick – Brooklyn’s creative neighborhood famous for its street art and symbol of the black community – is vegan, genderlessand has an affordable price.

His success, real social phenomenon that originates in 2020has deep roots in the context in which it was born, and is due to its ability to interpret the spirit of the times: it is the product of a brand founded by a black and gay designer, we wrote then, in a period in which consumers were starting to question increasingly on the links between shopping and social and environmental justice.

Added to these features are the price (affordable) and scarcity (in the number of pieces available) to which – as a natural consequence – they correspond sold out instantaneous and growth of desire.

Today, 4 years later since the explosion of the Telfar phenomenon, the brand launches a leather bagcompletely similar to the vegan model, with a necessarily higher price (but still more accessible than those of luxury brands)exclusively for the London store. A move that would seem to work against the premise of a brand that is aimed at and inspired, as stated by Clemens himself, by a community excluded from the sector.

So what would be the reasons behind this decision? «Telfar is a brand built on a unique mix of accessibility (price) and inaccessibility (scarcity). Luxury brands have worked with a different formula: inaccessibility and inaccessibility”, we read on Vogue Businesswhich explains the choice of the New York designer as a reaction against the capitalization of the luxury industry on the merchandising and marketing model that Telfar Clemens made popular with his sell-outs in a few minutes. Luxury fashion has borrowed the same model, but maintained much higher prices, is an example of this Phoebe Philo, launched with the same formula.

See more

Leather, eco-leather, imitation leather, vegan leather: are you sure you know what we’re talking about?

The time has come to clarify. If with the term “eco leather” you think you are referring to something of non-animal origin, you are wrong. Well yes, eco-leather is leather. But “imitation leather” or “vegan leather” are also terms often used incorrectly. Here is a guide to dispel false myths and understand which materials are truly eco-friendly and cruelty free

The physical release of Telfar’s leather bag would therefore be a response to the attempts by the luxury industry to replicate his approach to fashion. And it will also help prevent the onslaught of bots buying Telfar parts to resell them at much higher prices.

«The Carry it is not designed for Instagram. It shouldn’t run out in two minutes. You shouldn’t buy it from a photo”, reads the statement reported by Vogue Business. «Every aspect of this bag was designed for the physical experience: you have to touch it, feel it and carry it (in English carry, ed.). That’s why we’re opening a store».

However, animal rights activists do not seem to be taken into consideration. With the abandonment of synthetic and vegan materials – which on some occasions have been criticized for poor quality, demonstrating all the complexity of the sustainability issue in the fashion sector – Telfar renounces a slice of the market sensitive to animal welfare.

As reported by Business of Fashion, the brand is also about to launch a capsule collection of leather clothingincluding maxi skirts and a long trench coat, created in collaboration with the clothing and accessories manufacturer Wilson Leathers.

One would think that the choice of materials cruelty-free for Telfar was motivated exclusively by a question of costswith a view to being able to contain the price of the final product. Furthermore, we are not aware that the brand has ever made explicit reference to the sustainability of its bags. Or perhaps, in terms of respect for the environment, Telfar is dealing with the poor durability of a material derived from plastic.

It is inevitable to ask ourselves, however, whether the brand has not lost the ability to intercept the spirit of the times, taking a step backwards rather than forwards towards a future in which alternative but truly sustainable solutions to animal-derived leather will prevail.