Part of the collection is made by Sofie Darche herself in her workshop in Antwerp. The brand also works with a certified atelier in Romania. Sofie is always vigilant about the quality but she also finds a fair remuneration very important. At Sofie Darche, you can be sure that the employees in the atelier work under good conditions and receive a fair price.
Sofie Darche handbags are made of high-quality chrome-tanned leather from an Italian tannery. Chemicals are used in the tanning of chrome leather. Fortunately, there are stricter measures in Europe, so these chemicals do not end up in nature.
Sofie Darche’s choice of leather resulted from research into the most sustainable option without compromising on quality. The chrome-tanned leather remains beautiful for years and is highly resistant to dirt and moisture. In the future, the brand would like to evolve towards a more sustainable choice of leather that does not require chemicals. Sofie would like to switch to high-quality, naturally tanned leather when the market permits. Would you like to read more about the environmental impact of different leathers? Click here.
The lining of the handbags consists of a fabric of 60% recycled polyester and 40% ordinary polyester.
Chrome-tanned leather contains chemicals and is, therefore, unfortunately, no longer biodegradable. Therefore, Sofie Darche focuses on good maintenance and repair to make the bags last as long as possible. Upon purchase, you will receive a card with information on how you can best maintain your handbag. Do you have additional questions, or is there damage? Then you can always go to Sofie’s workshop, where she repairs her own bags as well as handbags of other brands.
In addition, Sofie also makes optimal use of the sheets of leather. The leftover leather is used to make small articles such as key rings, coasters, small purses and even candlesticks! In this way, a minimum of leather is lost.
Sofie consciously opts for European raw materials and also produces within Europe.
In this way, she wants to limit transport and keep the ecological footprint of her products as low as possible.
The handbags are made of real leather from animal skins and are therefore not vegan. The leather used by Sofie Darche is residual leather from the meat industry. So, no new animals are killed, especially for the handbags. Unfortunately, it is not clear under which conditions the animals live as the leather hides are not fully traceable. Fortunately, the leather will last for years if you take good care of it. Have you decided to buy a bag made of animal leather? Then we recommend that you cherish it for a long time. The timeless bags of Sofie Darche are perfect for this purpose.
Sofie Darche works entirely according to the slow fashion principle. The brand only produces at the request of the customer. In this way, Sofie wants to avoid waste and overproduction. Moreover, Sofie Darche does not design for the seasons. All models are timeless and can be worn all year round.
Sofie Darche is reasonably transparent in her communication and gave COSH! general information about her Italian leather supplier and production workshop in Romania. Unfortunately, no information is known about further steps in the production process. As a result, we do not know where the animal hides come from.
Far-reaching transparency such as the costing of the handbags and details about the Romanian atelier are also missing.
Zaključak
Are you looking for a minimalist handbag with a beautiful, timeless design, one you can cherish for years and which makes all other handbags redundant? Then take a look at the map below and discover the Sofie Darche points of sale.
