Kakaw Leather

Category: Apparel

Kakaw Leather is a sustainable leather alternative made from cacao waste, specifically pod husks and bean shells. It is machine-stitchable, edge-burnishable for a polished finish, and exhibits a degree of water resistance—making it a viable material for industries to experience luxury through waste. Kakaw Leather pays homage to the Philippines-- honoring the fruit, the farmers and the heritage behind it. It showcases the Philippines a force capable of transforming waste into a material with value, reclaiming cultural and economic agency in the global chocolate narrative. Kakaw Leather has been tested on three projects: (1) Pitaka (Wallet), and a collaboration with Filipino Fashion Designer, Robert Andrew Hiyas: (2) Pulo (Little Island-- as a dress) and (3) Kwelyo (Collar). It has demonstrated strong performance throughout all of these projects, confidently entering real-world applications. Kakaw Leather is more than just a material, but a manifesto that the future of design lies not in extraction but in innovation and transformation.