*Discounted Product
Today, I want to share with you a great eco-friendly fashion product, the Arture Design Willow Zip-around Wristlet. The Willow Wristlet is made out of cork and is the perfect wallet to for everyday use, for travel and as an accessory to an event outfit. This review has been a long time coming as I got this wallet for my 6 weeks of overseas treatment late last year. That means I’ve had a long time to use it, and I can tell you that it is really great quality.
Arture Design is an environmentally friendly brand based in India. All products are made from 100% natural cork that is sourced from the Mediterranean. All Arture products are cruelty free and have the PETA-approved vegan certification. Arture started as a crowd funding campaign in 2015, and soon turned into a fully fledged business. Arture say that the “utmost care is taken in procuring our materials to ensure the least harm is done to the environment”. On top of producing cruelty free, vegan and eco-friendly products, they also give back. Since June 2017, they have partnered with ResQ, an animal charity that provides medical aid and rehabilitation for animals that face injury or adversity and any kind of physical or psychological abuse. Every purchase made on the Arture Design website goes towards helping animals in need, from feeding puppies to providing medical care, like injections, dressings for wounds and antibiotic powders.
Cork is the bark of the Cork Oak Tree (Quercus suber). It is a great material as it is renewable and biodegradable, so it is much more environmentally friendly than most materials. Cork is harvested by separating the bark from the main part of the tree, leaving the tree unharmed. Each cork tree can be harvested every 9 years, and a single cork tree can live for hundreds of years. A cork tree will continue to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere for it’s entire life, so it can be used as both a resource and environmental helper. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) encourages consumers to choose cork products as Sustainable Cork Oak forests are home to endangered species like the Iberian Lynx and Iberian Imperial Eagle, as well as being a hot spot for biodiversity.
This 100% natural and eco-friendly material has the unique qualities of being water-resistant, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, fire-resistant, buoyant and stain resistant, as well as being light, flexible, strong and durable. All these attributes make it the perfect material for wallets, bags, and purses. Cork is a low maintenance material, but if you do ever get it dirty, a damp cloth will easily clean it up.
I found this brand when I was looking for a cork travel wallet, as I wanted something that was both good for the environment and looked pretty. I searched for months to find Arture Design, and once I saw their creations, I knew I had to have one. Arture make a range of cork wallet designs, from full size folding wallets, men’s wallets, mini wallets, coin purse type wallets, card holders, and wristlets as well as passport wallets, tech accessories and bags. I chose the Blue Willow Zip-around Wristlet as it looked perfect for my travel needs. It has a zip pocket for coins, plus 12 card slots, two large slots for cash, plus two small slots that sit behind the card slots that could also fit cash or tickets. There is also a pocket on the front that can fit thin items, but I haven’t used it for anything as I wouldn’t want something to fall out and be lost. The thing that made me want this wallet so much was that the cash slots are wide enough to fit a phone. I had the iPhone 7 at the time, but now I have the iPhone XS and that fits easily too. The wallet will be too small for any of the plus, or max iPhones, but anything smaller then the iPhone XS, will easily fit. I love being able to fit my phone in my wallet and carry it around with the attached strap, so I can even have both hands free. I plan on making this my every day wallet as soon as I have cleared out the excessive amount of store cards that I carry around.
The blue colour, which is more of a navy blue, is complimented by the good quality gold zip. The stitching is perfect, and you can feel how well made it is when holding it. I expect to get many, many years of use out of this wallet, much more than my usual faux leather wallets, plus this won’t harm the environment when I have used it to death. If the navy blue isn’t your style, then they also have Natural, Maroon, Teal (this colour was tempting for me) and Terrain. I typically like coloured cork products as I’m not a big fan of the natural colour of cork, however the patterns on the Terrain coloured products, are so pretty. Any of the Arture Design products would make for a lovely gift, plus you can get them embossed with initials to make for a personalised gift. Each item will look slightly different as cork is a natural material, so the patterns on it will change, but that makes each piece extra special.
I am so glad that I found Arture Design as their company values are so in line with mine, being cruelty free, vegan, environmentally friendly and giving back to animals. Plus each item is made to such a high standard and every interaction I have had with them, as both a customer and blogger, has been really good. They are in India, which makes it seem like shipping will cost a lot, but actually each item includes shipping. So the Willow Wristlet is A$110 with free shipping and only $4 extra if you want it monogrammed. Yes, that is more than a budget wallet, but this purchase will make a difference, last longer than the budget wallet and is biodegrade, so it won’t create waste when you are eventually done with it. A lot more companies are starting to use cork in their designs, which is great to see, but as a consumer, make sure you look for a brand that is producing high quality products and one that is dedicated to making their as sustainable and ethical as possible, like Arture Design. I would love to see Australian stores start stocking this brand, just so that more people can be exposed to it. Arture are always working on new products and designs, so I can’t wait to see what they bring out next. If you’re looking for a wallet, bag or tech accessory, I highly recommend checking out Arture Design as the quality is great and they’re very dedicated to sustainability.
I will be back to my beauty posts soon, but I will still be on the hunt for eco-friendly items that I can share with you. The only other cork product I own is the SewGnar Passport Wallet that I reviewed last year. If you know of a good eco-friendly product I should try, let me know in the comments. Have you heard of Arture Design before? Do you like the look of this wallet? If you want to keep up with what I’m posting, you can sign up to email updates or find me on social media – Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
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