Our Mission
Matter of the heart
We want to offer you and your pelt nose only the best, so that you can enjoy our products as long as possible. That’s why we choose all our materials very carefully. We use our expertise from years of experience in interior decoration & upholstery. Our fabrics are all extremely durable, have very high abrasion & light fastness values, are flexible and easy to clean. The upholstery materials used in our dog beds also come from the professional sector and will accompany your dog for a lifetime.
Sustainability
The term sustainability is everywhere today. We believe everyone can and (should) make a contribution to preserve our wonderful earth. Much too firmly we enjoy every free minute with our four-legged friends in nature, on wonderful mountain peaks, lakes, seas or our beautiful forests. That’s why we also strive to make our little label as sustainable as we somehow can.
That’s why we are constantly researching new materials, methods and ideas. The market is big and the demand for vegan materials is constantly increasing. The reasons for choosing vegan materials are extremely diverse. For some it is animal husbandry and animal suffering they want to avoid, for others environmental aspects, some do not like the smell of leather. Still others like the properties of leather but want a more easy-care material with versatile uses. In our case, it’s probably a colorful mix of these.
Meanwhile, there are such incredibly great developments in the material industry. Even the vegan leather alternatives are getting better and better. Colors, look and feel are more and more similar to real leather, often they are almost indistinguishable. Research is also being conducted into manufacturing processes and the materials used. They are becoming more and more resistant and sustainable. Proportions of the PVC or PU (polyvinyl chloride and polyurethane, both plastics) normally used in synthetic leathers can now be replaced by leftovers from apples, pineapples, mushrooms or cacti. However, well over 60% PVC or PU still remain as the main components of these alternatives of production, these alternatives are nevertheless more sustainable than conventional artificial leather. These artificial leather alternatives with vegetable parts, we call them here “fruit artificial leather”, are used more and more in the industry and are currently experiencing a real hype. Beautiful accessories such as bags and purses are made by many labels, for example, from the well-known apple leather. We think the development is really great and are looking forward to seeing what more sustainable faux leather variants will be developed in the next few years.
No vegetable imitation leather?
Why do we not (yet) use artificial leather with vegetable components for our collars and leashes?
We want to design and manufacture well thought-out, flexible and durable products for you. Because you should enjoy our products as long as possible. Longevity is also part of the sustainability of a product. That’s why we have done a lot of research, analyzed material test reports and compared materials. Our field of application and the associated requirements are different from the production of accessories, handbags or shoes.
Dog collars and especially leashes are (usually) in use for several hours a day and are exposed to extreme conditions. They have to withstand UV rays, rain and mud, temperature fluctuations, wind and strong pulls. Probably only shoes are exposed to these factors in a comparable way, although these will usually not come into contact with the strong pull and water or mud as our leashes do. So if we want to make long-lasting collars and leashes, we absolutely have to take these factors into account.
Since, according to the test reports of the “fruit leatherette” manufacturers, moisture and UV rays in particular have a negative effect on these materials and the tensile or tear strength is also limited, they are unfortunately currently out of the question for Maybe sometime in the future:-)
The artificial leather we use has been specially developed for outdoor use, more specifically for boat covers. This makes it extremely resistant to the elements. Sun, wind and water are exposed to boat covers to the maximum. Furthermore, in this area it must also withstand skin grease (incidentally, one of the main factors why synthetic leather usually becomes brittle over time) and sunscreen. This makes “boat” faux leather ideal for our collars and leashes.
Although the “fruit” varieties are slightly more sustainable in production, their texture is not yet suitable for the heavy use of leashes and collars. Thus, in the end, our collars and leashes made from the “boat” leather are more sustainable, because they are much more robust and durable and will accompany you and a four-legged friend longer. In addition, it may get wet (whether rain or swimming) and exposed to UV rays, has an extremely high abrasion value and the colors hardly fade due to the high light fastness. So you can look forward to a great vegan leather alternative that completely convinces us. 😊
So that you will enjoy our products as long as possible, we have compiled tips and care instructions for you. You can find these at the individual products in the online store.
What else we pay attention to
Local production in Zurich
Fair working conditions. As a customer, you know exactly who made your product. Thus you have direct contact persons to hold your desired product in your hands at the end.
Careful processing and small quantities
We try to generate as little waste or leftovers as possible. That’s why we don’t produce stock, but make each product especially to order for you. We only pre-produce for trade fairs and markets. This has the advantage that you can bring in your wishes and ideas and individualize your product. And we only produce what is really sold.
In the production of our products we pay attention to the best possible utilization of our materials. We use cuttings for small parts of our products (e.g. details of the keychains) or upcycle for example fabric scraps to our bags for leashes and collars.
High-quality materials, OEKO-Tex certified fabrics and short material delivery routes
We use only high quality and durable materials from the professional sector. All textiles are OEKO-TEX certified and therefore absolutely free of harmful substances. We pay attention to the shortest possible transport routes, therefore our materials come from Europe wherever possible.
Supporting Projects
Support Weaving for Life Nepalthrough donation per CLOUD goes Nepal blanket sold and textile purchase.
Local cooperations
We love cooperations with other small local labels. Away from fast fashion and towards high quality products from locally producing great labels while supporting the local economy. We developed our super beautiful ceramic bowls together with the Zurich based label Studio Sediment by Marcel.
Packaging and shipping
Our packaging is completely plastic-free and we ship CO2-compensated within Switzerland. In addition, we rely on upcycling instead of recycling or buying new packaging materials. We think recycling is super great. But with upcycling we can delay this process a bit and use existing materials longer. Yay that makes it even more sustainable and brings you some joy too. For example, we ship our linens in individually sewn bags made from fabric scraps and try to counteract the single use of packaging materials. More work for us, but a more beautiful and sustainable result for you, which you can reuse afterwards and does not end up in the trash. We also use this principle for our shipping boxes. Recycled boxes are great, but it’s even better for the planet to reuse them before recycling. That’s why we spruce up our shipping boxes for you and send them on another journey to your home.
Custom made products
Didn’t find your desired size, style or color? Or do you have a special request? Contact us – we are happy to help and would like to help you, whenever possible, to get your desired product.