Framing Nature

Murmali’s Cork fabric is obtained directly from the outer bark of the cork oak, which grows predominantly in the Mediterranean Sea. This remarkable tree has a bark whose properties and regeneration are unique throughout the plant kingdom. Cork oak trees can live about 180 years old, meaning that each tree allows about 17 to 20 cork bark collections. After the harvesting, the tree regenerates, allowing the cork to be harvested again after nine years. Bark harvesting has taken place for centuries in the same way, manually, without the need for environmentally damaging mechanization.
The harvesting of cork has guaranteed the survival of the oak tree forests for the past years. This environment is one of the richest biodiversity ecosystems in Europe. It is estimated that cork oak tree forests can absorb the equivalent of 20% of the CO2 emissions emitted by cars in the UK (that is around 14 million tons of CO2 per year)
Cork is a natural material, 100% biodegradable and recyclable. The way cork fabric is processed allows the material to retain all the other qualities that “raw” cork is known for: Water resistant, incredibly lightweight, soft to the touch, stain, and abrasion resistant, and hypoallergenic.
Murmali uses a blend of linen and cotton for all the linings in our handbags. The combination of cotton and linen avoids the disadvantages each of the materials would have separately. The softness and smoothness of cotton balance the roughness of issues of linen. On the other hand, the lightness of the cotton is compensated by the linen's stiffness.
All the fibers come from plantations in Europe , mainly Turkey and France. The tradition during the manufacturing process, which takes place in Spain, guarantees long lasting fabrics with an excellent touch and a natural finish.
The following are some properties of Murmali's lining fabric:.
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As these fabric components are all natural, Murmali's linings are both environmentally friendly, fully biodegradable, and a guaranteed skin-friendly fabric.
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All cotton-linen fabrics are sewn using pure cotton. This makes the fabric difficult to deform.
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The cotton-linen blend produces an air-permeable and breathable textile. This means it can quickly absorb the sweat from the skin.
Solid brass is an alloy metal made from copper and zinc. The combination of these two reliable metals contribute to the strength of the final material. Unlike aluminum, zamak, or, plated steel, solid brass hardware is unsusceptible to corrosion via oxidation. Even brass can tarnish over time, this will only affect its luster but not its performance and durability.
The manufacture of brass across the world depends highly on the recycling of scrap brass and copper. For this reason, brass has become one of the most recycled metals in the world. Furthermore, recycling brass is easier and significantly cheaper than producing new/fresh brass. Statistics show that nearly 90% of all brass alloys are recycled. In addition, brass can be recycled many times over without diminishing its properties and quality.
A perfect flat seam has always been one of the most important factors when considering the final look of a luxury handbag. While there are many aspects that must come together to obtain a perfect seam, the expertise of the seamstress and the quality of the thread used to prevail.
All our seams are made using the same thread some of the major leather goods companies have been using for decades, Mara 30 thread. The quality of this thread combined with the expertise of our workshop allows us to produce one of the most eco-friendly, high-quality handbags available today.
To Murmali, the process of painting the edges of our beautiful bags is a critical step. The respect we have for our accessories and the natural materials we use to manufacture them make us take our time through the manufacturing process. The expertise of our artisans applying the paint on the edges guarantees all our handbags age maintaining their original properties and appearance.
All the edges of our handbags are sealed using one of the most quality seal paints available, Giardini edge paint. The quality of the product, combined with the way we apply it, always manually, ensure all our handbags are unique and fully handcrafted, from start to finish strong.