Coconut Couture: The Fascinating Tale of Eco-Friendly 'Malai Leather'

A coconut on a hot summer day is like manna from heaven ¨C sipping on its cool, sweet water makes the scorching heat bearable. But every part of the coconut is useful in one way or another. The fruit for nourishment, the palm fronds for shelter, and the coir from the in-between layer for a variety of objects. They say that if you find yourself stranded on a deserted island with only coconut trees for company, your survival is guaranteed.

The humble coconut has been revered for centuries for its versatility. Not for nothing do the Sri Lankans call it the ¡°Tree of Life¡±. But despite everything that the coconut has to offer, could there still be more to it? That¡¯s the question the founders of Malai Eco set out to answer.

Where fashion meets sustainability, Malai Eco has turned coconuts into the coolest thing since sliced bread. Imagine a world where coconuts aren¡¯t just a tropical treat, but are transformed into fashion-forward, eco-friendly accessories that are high on style and gentle on the planet. This is made possible by the development of ¡°Malai¡±, ¡°a newly developed material made from entirely organic and sustainable bacterial cellulose, grown on agricultural waste sourced from the coconut industry¡±. The material is flexible, durable and feels a lot like leather.

Photo Credit: Malai Eco

It is also water resistant, produced with ¡°no artificial nasties¡±, and is completely vegan. The material is fashioned into accessories like bags, wallets, and notebooks, but the company also produces it in sheets of varying thickness, leaving the end product to a consumer¡¯s imagination. The sheets are available in a range of colours, each of which is naturally dyed. In fact, so confident is the company in its vegan credentials that they assert that the material is good enough to eat! While Malai is supposed to last for years, at the end of its life, a bag or any other product can simply be composted with household rubbish.

The Birth of a Cocolicious Idea

Based in Kerala, renowned for its picturesque landscapes and abundance of coconut trees, Malai Eco is the brainchild of Zuzana Gombosova and Susmith C.S. Gombosova, a material researcher and designer from Slovakia, first set foot in Mumbai for a stint at Godrej & Boyce as a design researcher. ¡°Little did I know that my journey in India would be marked by the omnipresence of coconuts,¡± she said. Gombosova studied bacterial cellulose in London, and India looked like the perfect place to start a business around it.

The name ¡°malai¡± is a nod to the place coconuts occupy in Indian culture, where the word means ¡°cream¡± in many local languages, including Malayalam. Gombosova and Susmith aspired to create a cream-like material from coconut water and biodegradable fibres that could then be crafted into accessories. ¡°In India, I was surprised to find that the concept of bacterial cellulose was relatively unknown, despite its prevalence in Southeast Asian countries like Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam, where it¡¯s produced as part of the food industry,¡± said Gombosova.

Zuzana Gombosova, co-founder, Malai Eco | Photo Credit: Malai Eco

So, what exactly is bacterial cellulose? Simply put, it is a form of cellulose, a natural polymer that is produced by certain strains of bacteria. Unlike plant cellulose, which is typically found in the cell walls of plants ¨C wood pulp cellulose, for instance, is turned into paper ¨C bacterial cellulose is generated by microorganisms. It forms a dense and highly pure cellulose structure and has unique properties such as high mechanical strength, water retention capacity, and biocompatibility.

Bacterial cellulose has a wide range of applications, including in the medical, food, and textile industries, as well as in the development of biodegradable materials and tissue engineering.

When Gombosova met Susmith, a product designer from Kerala and her colleague at Godrej & Boyce, things started taking shape. He was captivated by the idea of using coconut water to create sustainable and valuable products. In 2017, Gombosova and Susmith decided to embark on a research project together to explore the commercial viability of bacterial cellulose and its potential appeal to designers.

Eco-Friendly, Ethical, and Exciting

One of the things that sets Malai Eco apart from the crowd is its commitment to ethical practices. The duo works with local farmers, collect their waste coconut water, which would otherwise be dumped and damage soil, and use it to feed the bacteria¡¯s cellulose production. The water is collected from mature coconuts, and no, it doesn¡¯t harm the coconut trees or the coconuts themselves. According to the brand, one small coconut-processing unit can collect 4,000 litres of water per day, which can grow 25 kg of cellulose.

Photo Credit: Malai Eco

The extracted coconut water is then fermented via a unique process that turns it into a jelly-like substance, which is called ¡°malai¡±. This malai is then combined with natural fibres, usually sourced from banana plants or hemp, creating a pliable, leather-like material that is then turned into all sorts of stylish creations.

Malai Eco is a truly eco-friendly alternative to not just animal leather, shunned by many animal activists, but also many kinds of ¡°vegan leather¡± which are not always plant-based. While some vegan leather can be made with materials like cactus or plant waste, a lot of what masquerades as vegan leather is polyurethane, which is far more damaging to the environment.

At the heart of Malai Eco¡¯s ethos, on the other hand, is a deep love for the earth. Their vegan leather is not just sustainable; it¡¯s also biodegradable and will gracefully return to nature, leaving no trace behind. But buzzwords like ¡°sustainable/ethical fashion¡± have thus far been synonymous with boring, earth-toned accessories and outfits. Malai Eco¡¯s lineup is a treat for fashion enthusiasts and eco-warriors alike.

Their chic and versatile tote bags are perfect for adding a touch of elegance to any outfit. Whether you¡¯re heading to a business meeting or a casual brunch, there¡¯s a Malai Eco bag to suit every occasion. The brand doesn¡¯t just make trendy products for customers but also sells to other B2C brands.

The Demand For Plant-Based Leather

In Europe, material libraries, akin to traditional book libraries, house diverse collections of materials for various product applications. These repositories are valuable resources for designers across industries, including fashion, seeking innovative manufacturing options. Malai, an emerging material, has gained recognition in prominent material libraries and exhibitions, winning the approval of numerous designers for its versatility and sustainability.

In Gombosova¡¯s words, the market for environment-friendly vegan leather is only ¡°getting bigger.¡± India¡¯s synthetic leather market size is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 7.96% between 2022 and 2027 and is forecast to increase by USD 1,590.53 million. ¡°New alternatives and substitutes for leather and faux leather continue to emerge, indicating a dynamic and rapidly expanding market. Presently, a significant portion of our market comprises brands on the lookout for sustainable materials,¡± she said.

Photo Credit: Malai Eco

Still, most of Malai Eco¡¯s products are clearly geared toward the premium segment ¨C some of the tote bags on their website are listed at a whopping ?12,000, the price range of a minor luxury brand. But Gombosova contextualises this by telling me that the cost of manufacturing is extremely high. Several thousand litres of coconut water yield only a few kilograms of bacterial cellulose, which in turn leads to a very small quantity of leather.

It¡¯s not just Malai Eco on the vegan leather scene. In the last few years, many Indian brands with a conscience have surfaced, offering an alternative to traditional leather. Paio, a PETA-certified vegan shoe brand, specialises in crafting comfortable footwear for individuals with a passion for cruelty-free fashion. Aulive, a vegan label from Delhi-NCR, is known for its remarkable alternatives to genuine leather, sourced from pineapple-leaf fibre and ¡°pleather¡±.

The growth of more sustainable and planet-friendly brands can only mean good things for Indian fashion. Gone are the days when eco-friendly fashion was considered inaccessible. Now, you can wear your values proudly, knowing that your choices positively impact the planet. Isn¡¯t that the coolest accessory of all?