SICOBA backpacks are made of Clarino™ – vegan leather and a real high-tech material. Why it even surpasses animal leather in many respects, and conventional artificial leather as well, you can find out here.
Vegan leather has been used in the textile industry for several years as an “animal-free” alternative to conventional leather. However, there are major differences in quality here. A premium solution for those who want to do without animal leather is the exclusive vegan Clarino™ leather from the Japanese company Kuraray. They do things a lot differently than conventional artificial leather manufacturers.
Clarino™ gives new meaning to “art” in artificial leather
The microfiber experts from Tokyo almost craft a work of art with their artificial leather. Vegan leather from Clarino™ is produced in a high-end manufacturing process that, unlike the competition, relies on a three-layer instead of a single-layer structure. This guarantees outstanding quality with high durability. And not only that.
Clarino™ leather feels supple while being extremely robust and retaining its shape. The secret lies in the use of ultra-fine fiber technology. The material consists of a non-woven fabric impregnated with polyurethane. This makes the fiber more flexible and also easier to process.
Perfect workmanship guaranteed
Thanks to the very fine structures of the microfiber, it can be treated with the traditional finishing methods of leather tanning. Various finishes and treatments thus create a unique surface structure that is almost indistinguishable from real leather in its feel. Clarino™ leather can also be perfectly processed. It can be perforated, embossed, printed, laminated and dyed in almost any color – there are no limits to creativity here.
The three layers of the high-tech material
Conventional artificial leather is usually made of single-layer PVC (polyvinyl chloride). Vegan Clarino™ leather is accordingly unique with its special three-layer structure.
- The “layer of nonwoven fabric” is the heart of the leather. It is produced by interweaving resin to form a three-dimensional, ultra-fine nonwoven fabric. This has a particularly fine property: it looks amazingly similar to the collagen fiber structure of natural leather.
- The “forming layer” above it provides the stability of the material through its cushioning properties.
- The outermost layer is a “surface resin layer“. It is abrasion-resistant and can therefore hardly be scratched or damaged. The final application of a synthetic resin impregnated with polyurethane creates a texture that looks confusingly similar to animal leather.
With Clarino™, the motto is: chemicals, no thanks!
In addition to its texture, Clarino™ leather also scores points for the fact that special attention was paid to sustainability in its development.
The Tirrenina fiber used for Clarino™ leather is the world’s first water-based microfiber whose production completely eliminated environmentally harmful additives and chemicals such as chloride.
The Japanese company has also succeeded in reducing water consumption in production by 70% and CO2 emissions by 30%.
Advantages of Clarino™ at a glance
Those who choose Clarino™ leather are doing something good for the environment and animal welfare. On the other hand, products made of Clarino™ also have many functional advantages over animal leather and conventional artificial leather. We have summarized these advantages for you in a table.
light | scratch resistant | waterproof | robust | easy care | |
Animal leather | no | little | no | no | no |
synthetic leather | yes | little | yes | yes | little |
Clarino™ leather | yes | yes | yes | yes | very |
Bottom line
With a SICOBA backpack made of Clarino™ leather, you are making a conscious decision in favor of a sustainable and long-lasting alternative – which, by the way, is also particularly easy on the back. Here you can find out why orthopedists also approve of SICOBA.