The Challenge
Nutico is a vegan leather made from food‑industry by‑products such as cocoa husks and walnut shells. The challenge was to explore this new material’s potential in luxury leather goods: understand how it behaves in real product applications and bring it into finished accessories that could be showcased at major international fairs. The task was to balance material exploration with product development, using a known design language to focus attention on material behavior and performance.
Our Solution
We began by conducting material testing on Nutico to assess its surface characteristics, strength, flexibility, and suitability for bag construction. Based on those insights, we developed two prototypes: our LOULOU silhouette and the more structured MINI ELAY. Using two distinct designs allowed us to test how Nutico works in both soft‑curved and architectural formats — highlighting differences in drape, handle reinforcement, edge finishing, and overall usability.
Both bags were crafted in a unique material and color combination selected to emphasize Nutico‘s organic texture and rich, natural tones. By adapting existing silhouettes rather than creating new shapes from scratch, we kept development efficient while pushing the material into a commercially relevant context. The finished prototypes were then exhibited at Première Vision Paris, showcasing Nutico as a viable next‑generation alternative for high‑end accessories and expanding industry awareness of this circular material innovation.
Materials
• Nutico™ (biodegradable leather alternative from cocoa husks & walnut shells)
• Biobased reinforcements and stitching components
Methods
• In‑atelier material testing
• Product adaptation using two established silhouettes
• Prototyping with a focus on structure vs. softness
• Exhibition‑ready handcrafted production
Highlights
• First application of Nutico™ in structured and soft accessory formats
• LOULOU and MINI ELAY prototypes showcased material versatility
• Exhibition presentation at Première Vision Paris
• Demonstrates the real‑world potential of cocoa‑based vegan leather alternatives
