The Sustainable Handbag That Keeps Selling Out
If there’s a formula for creating a sell-out handbag designed for Gen Z, Furla might have found it with its Re-Candy bag. The savvy calculus of Pop colors, sustainable materials, and a very good price equaled two sell-out runs since it was introduced during Milan Fashion Week in September, when Re-Candy was hanging from the shoulders of everyone from OG street style star Anna Dello Russo to the actress Serena de Ferrari.
The Re-Candy range is essentially a sustainable reimagining of Furla’s signature Candy tote, which is turning 10. The re-invention reflects the principles of circular design. Crafted from recycled plastic and produced in accordance with Nativa, a certified B Corp regenerative design company, the handbag is Furla’s first completely sustainable product.
“Being sustainable is an imperative value for Furla,” says company president Giovanna Furlanetto, the daughter of Aldo Furnaletto, whose Bologna family started the label nearly a century ago. “We can’t think of new ideas without being environmentally friendly.”
The top-handle totes ($228) and mini-totes ($178) are designed in a vivid palette of pink, blue, green, purple and orange recycled thermoplastic polyurethane. “Colors are a statement for Furla,” Furlanetto continues. “They are part of our DNA, they represent joy, happiness and fun.”
All of the bag’s components, including the detachable chain link shoulder strap, are sustainable: The label is crafted from FSC certified paper; the dust bag is made from recycled cotton dyed with natural colors; and, to avoid the use of polluting ink, the Re-Candy name and the Furla logo have been embossed on the bag. In turn, the purses are also fully recyclable.
Furla began putting sustainable practices in place in 2017 with the establishment of eco-friendly design teams and CSR departments. While Re-Candy is its first sustainable bag, it will not be its last.
In May, the company opened Furla Progetto Italia, a hub for creativity, production, research and experimentation, at Tavernelle Val di Pesa in Florence. Its purpose is to minimize the impact of the industrial activities on the region.
“Huge advances are being made during the last decade in recycling and sustainability,” says Furlanetto of her decision to move Furla toward a more eco-minded future. “The most sensitive people to this topic are young consumers and Gen Z.”
You Might Also Like
