HOZEN
Hozen creates eco-friendly vegan handbags, made in a fair-wage factory in Los Angeles. This cruelty-free brand uses recycled and upcycled materials to lessen their environmental footprint, pays for carbon offsetting to minimise their impact on the planet, and donate 10% of profits to Mercy for Animals. This vegan label has been featured in VOGUE, Harper's Bazaar, Forbes, and more. The name Hozen is a Japanese word for 'conservation'.
FounderRae Nicoletti had been working on the creative side of corporate retail in New York and California for over a decade. In search of her own creative outlet, Rae started taking crafting workshops on the weekends, stumbling across a leather atelier in San Francisco. Run by a Hermès master artisan, the programme taught her hand-crafting, pattern making, and handbag construction. After learning this craft, Rae decided to start her own line. As she was turning vegan at the same time, she researched “eco-friendly” leather and was horrified to find cruelty to animals, pollution and toxic chemicals. This prompted her to start a search for cruelty-free, planet-friendly alternatives before launching her brand.
“I love quirky fashion but I want this product to be functional, wearable for everyday, and seasonless in an effort to feel the need to buy less.”
Materials
Hozen uses Piñatex – a vegan replacement for leather made from pineapple leaf fibres, a waste product that is usually discarded during pineapple harvesting. The brand is also working with Desserto, an environmentally friendly organic leather made from the Nopal cactus, which grows in Mexico and is a strong, resistant vegan leather alternative. Hozen's designs also incorporate United Leather, a PVC-free material made from water-based resins.
People
Hozen works with vendors that demonstrate high standards of governance and transparency, which indicates to the brand that the supplier prioritises the well-being of workers.
Production
To avoid waste, Hozen produces in small batches, in a fair-wage, family-owned Los Angeles factory. They have also produced in a manufacture-focused region in China, once again working with a facility specialising in small runs. The woman-owned factory was personally audited by Hozen's collaboration partners.
Hozen is a PETA-Approved Vegan brand.
To discover more like this, visit our vegan bags collection.
Read more about ethical leather and how sustainable it is on our blog.
Love sustainable vegan leathers? Take a look at our edits for Cactus Leather, Apple Leather, Grape Leather, Pinatex and Cork Leather.
