You're reading: Ethical Leathers : Chopard & Chloë Sevigny Bags

This year’s Cannes Festival was a triumph for Chloë Sevigny, who not only starred in the opening night film The Dead Don’t Die, but also premiered bag she has designed in collaboration with Chopard. The Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe-winning actress worked closely with the luxury brand to create these sassy but sustainable bags as part of their Green Carpet Collection (GCC).

Chopard is making waves in the world of luxury jewellery and accessories at the moment, having announced its commitment to making 100% of its gold products ethically sourced and produced, and then furthering this pledge to include precious stones. This latest initiative introduces sustainable leather and expands the Maison’s Journey To Sustainable Luxury to include luxury accessories.

The Journey to Sustainable Luxury

Cannes and Chopard have an exciting history with regards to The Journey to Sustainable Luxury. It was in 2013 that Chopard launched the Green Carpet Collection at Cannes, a collection of fine jewellery which relied entirely on Fairmined gold. This was just the start of The Journey, which is a multi-year initiative in partnership with Eco-Age, aiming to set new environmental and social standards for the production of luxury items.

Creative director Livia Firth says: “When I first learned that there were 15 million men and women supporting a global community of approximately 70 million family members, digging up precious metals from the valleys and hills of South Africa to South America (often working in unsafe conditions and unable to get a fair price for their work), I was both shocked, and determined to find a champion to help do something about it.

This is when I met Caroline Scheufele: the visionary co-president and artistic director of Chopard. The fact that Caroline has embraced The Journey to Sustainable Luxury has allowed Chopard to directly impact on the lives of the real people in artisanal mining communities across South America. Chopard’s partnership with Eco-Age and the Green Carpet Challenge shows that luxury brands can lead the way for others to follow and that embracing a socially responsible and sustainable path can both enhance and add value.”

Chopard & Chloë Sevigny

Having officially made 100% of its gold ethical in 2018, Chopard continues to branch out its ethical stance on luxury, starting with the sustainably sourced leather in this collection with Chloë Sevigny.

Caroline Scheufele, Co-President and Artistic Director of Chopard, says “Chloë is a global style icon. When I heard that Chloë also has a real interest for sustainability, I knew she would be the perfect person to collaborate with to design a special bag for Chopard. True luxury is knowing the story behind the pieces we wear, and I am thrilled that Chloë shares this mindset and has joined us on our Journey to Sustainable Luxury”.

The quirky, 1940’s-inspired bag is the ultimate accessory to complement any red carpet outfit, and is available in three colours. The bag is made from butter-soft calf skin leather which is sustainably sourced and, Chopard says, “fully traceable”. Sustainability isn’t an afterthought with this bag, it’s at the very heart of the design and goes all the way back to the tannery.

The high cost of leather

Leather is one of the oldest materials ever produced, going back to ancient times, and is still a popular material thanks to its hard-wearing nature. However, in recent times we have begun to understand the high environmental cost to the planet of producing leather, and the challenges of sustainably sourcing it.

Leather is a by-product of the meat industry, and as such impacts the environment starting at the source, with extensive over-farming of livestock leading to issues with gas emissions, overuse of water and land and even deforestation.

At the tanning stage, the traditional method of production is chromium tanning, where hides are submerged in drums containing water, chromium salts and tanning liquor. This process creates a combination of chemicals and gases which are proven to be harmful and even toxic to humans.

In developing countries, the resulting waste often flows into local water, tainting it with carcinogenic chromium, arsenic, acids and other chemicals, and leading to long term issues in the community. Tannery workers are particularly affected, suffering serious unpleasant side effects including irritation to the eyes, mouth and airways, skin problems, digestive issues, cancer and liver and kidney diseases.

However, there are friendlier, more sustainable ways of producing leather, that does not have these harsh side effects. Alternative tanning methods exist without the heavy chemicals that have been used in mass leather production, and an ancient technique involving the use of time and plant extracts has become increasingly popular in the luxury market.

Due to the multiple locations and processes involved in the leather supply chain, many designers and producers find traceability a challenge. For this project, Chopard was dedicated to ensuring full traceability in all of the leather used, meeting and collaborating closely with suppliers to ensure that every step of the chain met the strict guidelines set out by the Eco-Age Principles for Sustainable Excellence.

During a trip to Brazil, Livia Firth and a team from Eco-Age was able to meet with those involved in the production of leather to find out what environmentally-friendly alternatives there are. Bringing this knowledge back, the team was able to work towards sourcing certification for every stage in the leather supply chain, to ensure that the leather accessories provided by Chopard work towards their goal of total sustainability.

For this collection, going all the way back to the tannery, it is confirmed that there is an environmentally-friendly process to manage waste, water and energy, whilst reinforcement materials added to the bag are made entirely from natural latex and vegetable tanned leather waste.

“I love collaborating with brands who aren’t afraid to do things differently”, Chloë Sevigny says. “The jewellery industry is known for its environmental and social challenges, but Chopard is committed to doing business in a better way and has proven that it can be done. I was inspired by all of their incredible work as part of The Journey to Sustainable Luxury and my design actually came from the theme of LOVE- for people and planet. I hope the bag that we have created is embraced and cherished for years to come”