Cork is a 100% organic material composed of the bark of the cork oak tree (Quercus suber) with Portugal being the largest producer of this environmentally friendly material, Spain is the second largest followed by Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Italy and France.
The outer layer of the bark is removed from the cork oak tree without harming the tree itself. Afterwards the tree produces a new layer of bark with a similar thickness of that removed, allowing the process to be repeated every nine years. This is sustainability at its best.
Cork is light in weight and floats, it is an impressively elastic and impermeable material which lends itself to being used to make fashion items and insulate homes against noise and for warmth.
It is inert and has no odor, lending itself to many uses where hygiene is an issue and the recycling process allows it to be ground down and used for endless possibilities.
Being plant based, high quality vegan accessories are extremely popular now. The list of possibile uses for cork is endless.
Corkor, a company based in Setubal close to Lisbon, sells fashion items that are PETA-Approved Vegan and the cork used is FSC® certified. The company was the creation of Natália and Vítor who, together with traditional craftsmanship design, create and ship products across the globe with shops in the UK, Luxemborg, Switzerland and Italy. For more information on their company and designs click here.