Fashion designers across the world have been eschewing leather in their collections for a few years now.
Bottega Veneta has used paper instead of cowhide, Dolce and Gabbana has incorporated tree bark and Stella McCartney has adopted recycled polyester.
Now, however, Jordanian chef Omar Sartawi has added a new material to the mix, as he's found a way to turn aubergine skins into a feasible and sustainable alternative leather product.
Sartawi, who's also a food artist, revealed his latest creation at the end of last year, saying it is as flexible and resistant as animal leather. "The material is amazing, it feels exactly like leather," he says. "It can be torn, stretched, manipulated in every way. It always regains its original texture and look."
And today he's putting that material to good use by fashioning face masks out of it in order to help stem the spread of Covid-19 in Jordan and across the world.
For this project, he teamed up with Jordanian designers Princess Nejla Asem and Salam Dajani.
"I started sketching, looking at it from behind my desk, and then I started stitching," says Dajani, founder of the brand Wenin. "I have sewn different kinds of stitches on it, and I felt that embroidery reflects a character."
Asem, a jewellery designer, added brass rings, and experimented with silver and ropes as finishing touches. "Of course, this is a collective work which we have all agreed to do," she says.
The trio have created a series of limited-edition masks for a collaboration with Jordan Fashion Week's #BornAgain campaign.
How do you make aubergine 'leather'?
One peel can take two weeks of preparation to be turned into "leather".
If we could start collecting all of this wasted food and turn it into clothes for the less fortunate, so much could change
Sartawi peels the skin, uses copious amounts of salt to dry it out and then dehydrates his material.
The skin becomes tough, but breathable. When worked on properly, the material can last for two to three years.
While developing the product, it wasn't only sustainable fashion and face masks Sartawi had in mind. Another aspect to his invention was that it would also tackle food waste, as he envisioned recuperating leftovers from hotels and restaurants to create leather on a larger scale.
“There is so much we can do with things that people do not even think about," he says.
"If we could start collecting all of this wasted food and turn it into clothes for the less fortunate, so much could change.”
Most importantly, this was never about making a profit, Sartawi stresses.
"Now that we have created the ‘recipe’ for this material, I want to release it to the world and let people see how it is done, so they can replicate it in their own homes."
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
MATCH INFO
South Africa 66 (Tries: De Allende, Nkosi, Reinach (3), Gelant, Steyn, Brits, Willemse; Cons: Jantjies 8)
Canada 7 (Tries: Heaton; Cons: Nelson)
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UAE: Thunder Snow/Saeed bin Suroor (trainer), North America/Satish Seemar, Drafted/Doug Watson, New Trails/Ahmad bin Harmash, Capezzano, Gronkowski, Axelrod, all trained by Salem bin Ghadayer
USA: Seeking The Soul/Dallas Stewart, Imperial Hunt/Luis Carvajal Jr, Audible/Todd Pletcher, Roy H/Peter Miller, Yoshida/William Mott, Promises Fulfilled/Dale Romans, Gunnevera/Antonio Sano, XY Jet/Jorge Navarro, Pavel/Doug O’Neill, Switzerland/Steve Asmussen.
Japan: Matera Sky/Hideyuki Mori, KT Brace/Haruki Sugiyama. Bahrain: Nine Below Zero/Fawzi Nass. Ireland: Tato Key/David Marnane. Hong Kong: Fight Hero/Me Tsui. South Korea: Dolkong/Simon Foster.
'How To Build A Boat'
Jonathan Gornall, Simon & Schuster
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Scores:
Day 4
England 290 & 346
Sri Lanka 336 & 226-7 (target 301)
Sri Lanka require another 75 runs with three wickets remaining
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
The specs: 2017 Porsche 718 Cayman
Price, base / as tested Dh222,500 / Dh296,870
Engine 2.0L, flat four-cylinder
Transmission Seven-speed PDK
Power 300hp @ 6,500rpm
Torque 380hp @ 1,950rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.9L / 100km
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Name: Brendalle Belaza
From: Crossing Rubber, Philippines
Arrived in the UAE: 2007
Favourite place in Abu Dhabi: NYUAD campus
Favourite photography style: Street photography
Favourite book: Harry Potter
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
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Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
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Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
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Take Me Apart
Kelela
(Warp)
