Episode 19
Amschela: Socially Responsible Luxury Accessories
In this episode of In With the New, Avril Tomlin-Hood speaks with Keri Andriana, Founder of Amschela, a PETA-approved UK-based luxury accessory brand.
Keri Andriana is the Founder of Amschela, a UK-based luxury accessory brand that focuses on encapsulating the intrinsic charm of the modern-day contemporary woman with on-the-go sustainably made pieces for life. Amschela is PETA-approved and strives to use high-quality, environmentally friendly certified materials that are sustainable, serve to reduce our carbon footprint, and are not harmful to animals. The brand is also a champion of social mobility impact, providing opportunities to young people who wish to work in the fashion industry.
Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:
- How Keri Andriana went from practising law to owning an award-winning vegan handbag company
- Amschela’s progression from using leather materials to becoming PETA-approved
- How companies can produce sustainable products
- The impact of incremental changes in business
- Keri talks about Amschela’s Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign
In this episode…
Traditional handbags and accessories are manufactured using materials like leather and plastic-based leather alternatives that harm animals and the environment. Vegan alternatives include polyurethane (“PU”) leather which, while less damaging than traditional leather, still contains petroleum, so it’s not a sustainable long-term solution. How can you advance your sustainability initiatives by employing gradual shifts?
After adopting a vegan diet, Keri Andriana realized that her handbag company, Amschela, could become more sustainable by altering its manufacturing process and using environmentally-friendly materials rather than animal leathers. Initially, Amschela utilized PU in its vegan handbags before adopting Mirum, a new 100% plant-based material that is fully circular and can even be deconstructed and repurposed or returned to the earth. To further its efforts, Amschela launched a multi-purpose, made-to-order bag to reduce excess energy consumption due to manufacturing, production, and shipping processes. Sales of this product support the company’s social mobility campaign, which provides disadvantaged young individuals with meaningful opportunities in fashion. Keri encourages sustainable brands to identify and hone in on the purpose of their initiatives to accelerate a positive impact on the environment.