Saving the Planet One Cactus at a Time

In our last post we brought you seaweed, now we have cactus. We have been gleeful about these innovative and elaborate ways fashion is being reimagined, and with the Karl Lagerfeld brand on board, how can we disagree? The Karl Lagerfeld brand partnered with eco-conscious supermodel Amber Valleta in a line of sustainable accessories.  Both Amber and the team at Karl Lagerfeld found creative ways to create beautiful pieces sustainably and believe it or not from an actual cactus.

This gorgeous green bag is made from vegan cactus leather. Vegan Cactus Leather was engineered by Desserto in Guadalajara, Mexico and has a plant-based, organic carbon content that saves thousands of liters of water because no irrigation is required. Amber Valleta explains why creating with these materials are the key to true change, “For the fashion industry to become more sustainable, it will of course be about innovation with materials and the supply chain, but it will also be about no extrapolating new virgin materials, and new resources to make virgin materials and just be about taking back what we already have, breaking it down and making something new.”

The idea of taking back what we have and breaking it down to make something new is a natural complement to thrifting, an entire industry based on keeping clothing as circular as possible. This collection also includes a folded tote made entirely of recycled cotton. This item, with its pillow-like proportions is inspired by a special cushion Karl Lagerfeld traveled with as a homage to him. Amber points out that Karl, “would have loved this.”

Lastly, this line of accessories will be donating 100% of the profits to The Ocean Cleanup, a non-profit foundation, whose goal is to rid the world’s oceans of plastic. At Deals on Designers we work with non-profits on an ongoing basis, because giving back to the community and making a difference can go hand in hand. So Shop Cactus, Shop Thrift and Give Back? Sounds like I’m going shopping.