Alpha Handcrafted Cork Vegan Crossbody Bag | Navy

London brand Murmali creates modern luxury cork goods that merge traditional craftsmanship with sophisticated yet functional designs. They were awarded London's Leading Vegan & Cruelty-Free Handbag Range in the 2021 LUXLife Magazine Leaders in Luxury awards. The brand has also been featured in VOGUE and Eluxe Magazine.

About the Founders

The brand name is a fusion of the surnames of the partners Marcela Murco and Miguel Chimali. They created the brand after struggling for years as customers to find sustainable vegan fashion options and saw the opportunity to create something.

The brand was in development for six years – nearly four of these went to finding the right manufacturers that could offer the transparency, equality and also environmental attention that Murmali was looking for.

“Our evocative logo refers to a link, one of the most recognised symbols of our days. This link represents Murmali’s aim of introducing nature into our lives through products that are made entirely of natural materials.”

Materials

At the very start of their journey, Murmali decided that cork would be the key element of their project. Aside from being a natural, renewable material, cork also helps the forest absorb additional CO2 when harvested. Because of the irregularities of the tree on its bark, the harvesting process is carried out entirely by hand, without using any type of heavy machinery. This also ensures the tree is not hurt and can renew the bark for future harvests. TCork is also waterproof, flexible, lightweight and easy to clean. The brand lines their bags with a 100% natural lining, made from linen and cotton.

People

All of Murmali's designs are manufactured in a small family workshop in Portugal, with a history of 40 years. Employees are paid well above the national minimum wage, work for 8 hours per day and are paid for any overtime they do. They are instructed in health and safety, receive skills training and do not have a longer travel time to work than 30 minutes.

Production

The brand often chooses materials that are local to the area where they are produced – cork is a prevalent industry in Portugal – to save on CO2 emissions connected to transport.

Packaging

Murmali's packaging has also been carefully considered to reflect their brand values. Each design is placed into a 100% linen dust bag made in the UK, then sent in a branded box that is 100% recycled and recyclable, sourced from a small company based in Spain.

Animals

From the very early stages, the two main building blocks of the Murali brand have been veganism and sustainability. These values are reflected in every step of their process.

To discover more like this, visit our vegan bags collection.

You can read more about the problem with animal  leather and sustainable vegan leather alternatives on our blog.

As a marketplace, we sell many beautiful vegan and sustainable brands – but we don’t hold stock, so when you order a product from us, the item is shipped from the brand directly. This eliminates needless carbon emissions and use of resources from not having to have the item packaged and shipped to us, and then repackaged and shipped out again to the customer; and not having to run major warehouse operations in addition to those of our brands.

If you have purchased multiple items from different brands at the same time, each item will be sent separately and directly from each individual brand.

We manage all customer communications, so if you have any questions or issues with delivery of your item, please contact us at customers@immaculatevegan.com.

Delivery Times

Our brands usually dispatch items within 1-2 days of your order. Shipping can take between 3-10 days depending on where you are based and where the brand is based. If an item is made to order, this will be clearly indicated in the product's description.

Delivery Destinations & Costs

We currently ship to the following territories: UK & Europe, North America (US, Canada, and Mexico), Australia, New Zealand, Israel, UAE, Hong Kong, and Japan.

Note: Each of our brands select which countries in the world they deliver to, and they set their own delivery costs for each country (which will vary). If this is not clearly stated on the individual product page, then you will be able to check in the shopping bag before proceeding to payment.

Our brands also select their own couriers, which may also differ by country.

Our Prices, VAT & Import Taxes

If you order an item that ships to you from within your own country, there will be no additional taxes or fees on receipt of goods.

If you order an item that ships to you from another country, your order may be subject to VAT and/or import duties, which are the result of international trade agreements between countries and unfortunately not within our control.

Please note the following scenarios:

Customers within the UK

• All products shipped to you from within the UK already include VAT, and there will be no further charges.

• Products shipped to you from outside the UK under £135 will also already include VAT, and there will be no further charges. 

• Products shipped from outside the UK over £135 may be liable to import duties on delivery of the item.

Customers within the EU

• All products shipped to you from within your own country already include VAT, and there will be no further charges.

• Products shipped to you from outside your country under 150 Euros will also already include VAT, and there will be no further charges. 

• Products shipped from outside your country over 150 Euros may be liable to import duties on delivery of the item.

Customers in the rest of the world, including USA & Canada:

The majority of regions outside UK & EU do not have VAT or import duties that apply except for very high value orders – however this differs by country, so please check with your local customs office if you aren't sure.

Payment of VAT & Import Duties

As the customer, you are responsible for paying any duties that apply in your region. These will be charged at point of delivery, and payable through the courier. Please note, you will be required to pay any relevant VAT & duties before your order will be released to you.

Depending on the courier used by the brand, you will have either an option to pay any additional fees online by following the tracking number available once your order is shipped, or directly to your courier upon delivery.

Unfortunately, if you fail to pay these charges and the parcel is returned to sender, we will not be able to refund your original shipping costs, although we will of course refund the cost of your item, when it has been received by the brand.

Delivery Confirmation

A delivery confirmation email from Immaculate Vegan will be sent to you as soon as the order has been sent. This email will contain a tracking number and the date the brand dispatched the item.

If you want to know the status of your delivery, please use the tracking number and link in this delivery confirmation email. This is the easiest and quickest way for you to get this information. 

If a brand is experiencing a high volume of orders, or other factors such as poor weather or postal strikes, delivery may be delayed by a few days.

If you experience a delivery issue which has not been resolved by the courier, please contact us and we will do our best to resolve this. 

Incorrect Address Details

Please ensure your address is completed correctly and a valid phone number is available at order. Immaculate Vegan does not take responsibility for lost or undelivered items if the address is incorrect.

If your order is returned to the brand, the cost of redelivery must be paid before it is despatched again.

Damages

Please see our Returns Policy

We hope you love the items you buy from us; we take the utmost care in ensuring our brands and products are of a high quality. Additionally, as shipping goods has an environmental impact, we hope to minimise returns by giving you as much information as possible about each product. 

However, we understand that from time to time things might not be quite what you expected. So here is our policy and instructions if you ever need to return a product.

How do I request a return?

Immaculate Vegan is a multi-brand marketplace. That means that we offer products from different brands based in different countries. So you need to return your item directly to the brand supplier, not to Immaculate Vegan.

If you want to return an item, you need to inform Immaculate Vegan, not the brand. Please email us at returns@immaculatevegan.com.

How long do I have to return my order? 

You have 14 days to inform us of your desire to return an item, and then a further 14 days from the date you notify us to send back the item.

Do you offer free returns?

Unfortunately because they are small, independent businesses, the vast majority of our brands are NOT able to offer free shipping – it would simply make trading unfeasible. An exception is Will's Vegan Store which does offer free returns and exchanges. Please still contact customers@immaculatevegan.com to make a return or exchange for Wills, and we will process this for you.

Please note that any delivery costs or import taxes you may have had to pay to receive an item cannot be refunded by us upon the return of that item.

What can be returned?

Any item – regular priced or sale price – may be returned and refunded. This includes items purchased with a promotional or discount code.

What if an item is faulty?

If an item is faulty, the brand is responsible for paying for costs of returning the item. Please inform us if you receive a faulty item as soon as possible, by emailing us at customers@immaculatevegan.com. We will ensure you either have a refund or an exchange.

How should I send back my return?

Please ensure you package your return securely to prevent any damage to the items or boxes.

You are responsible for any item being returned until it arrives back at the supplier. We recommend a signed-for and tracked delivery with proof of postage. This is to ensure that if an item goes missing, it can be tracked.

For non-domestic, international returns, please ensure the package is clearly marked as a return, i.e. 'RETURNED GOODS – FAILED SALE'. We ask that you also use a Customs Declaration (like a CN22 form) that allows you to formally mark the package as Returned Goods. Otherwise the brand will incur import charges that you – the customer – will be liable for. This amount will be deducted from your refund as well as any shipping costs. It may be advisable to take a photo of your package in the event of any dispute.

In what condition will you accept returns?

All items returned must be in their original condition – unused, unworn, unwashed, in the original packaging and with original labels and any hygiene stickers attached. All beauty products must be unopened, with all seals in place. Unfortunately, our suppliers will not be able to accept any items that fail to meet these criteria. 

Processing your return

Once your returned item is received and inspected, the supplier will notify us, and we will then send you an email confirming this.

If your return is approved, your refund will be processed. We aim to refund you as soon as we can, once your returned item has been processed by the supplier.

We are legally obliged to ensure your money is refunded within 14 working days of receipt of the returned goods in a saleable condition.

Please note that original shipping costs are not refundable unless the delivered item is faulty.

Exchanges

Most of our brand partners allow exchanges, although some only offer a return and refund. If you wish to have an exchange, please contact us at returns@immaculatevegan.com.

Import Duties

If you have had to pay import duty on a purchase, then you may be able to reclaim that from your local tax office, if you return the goods. Immaculate Vegan is not responsible for any additional customs and taxes applied to an order.

Returns & Damages

Immaculate Vegan is not liable for any items damaged or lost during delivery. If this does occur, please let us know and we will contact the brand and then follow up with you. 

Cancellation policy and process 

You can cancel an order that you have paid for if it has not yet been dispatched. To do this, please notify us by using the Contact Us form on our website or email us at customers@immaculatevegan.com.

If you cancel an order that has been dispatched you are obliged to pay the cost of the return shipping. Note: we are unable to refund this or the original shipping fee.

We aim to process your refund within than 5 days of receipt of goods.

Any custom-made or made-to-order products cannot be cancelled.

Note

This policy applies to products purchased from the www.immaculatevegan.com website only.

Questions?

If you have any questions about returns or cancellations that we haven’t answered, please email us at customers@immaculatevegan.com.