Ashoka Paris
Ashoka Paris is a French brand of eco-responsible and vegan high-end leather goods.
The brand started with a collection of handbags , then small leather goods , and is now expanding with vegan sneakers and clothing .
The story of Ashoka Paris
The founders are Gwenaëlle and Frédéric , a Parisian couple determined to revolutionize traditional luxury leather goods.
It all started in 2017: Gwenaëlle, who had already eliminated animals from her diet, realized how difficult it was to find beautiful bags without animal leather . Her husband, Frédéric, an entrepreneur at heart and also sensitive to the animal cause, took on the challenge of designing a bag model!
Her creative spirit and knowledge of the web, coupled with the ideas and values of G wenaëlle, gave birth to the Ashoka Paris brand.
Their first collection was presented at the Veggie World show in 2018, including the Eclipse bag, the first model made fromimitation apple leather . This was followed by a crowdfunding campaign that was a great success.
Paris as a source of inspiration
The Ashoka Paris brand has officially launched with a first collection of vegan bags and accessories with a style that is both chic and timeless, in a very Parisian spirit. We find these aspects in all their collections.
“Our offices are located in Paris and it is this magical city that inspires us.”
One of the bags was even named after the capital: the Paname model.
Through the different Ashoka Paris collections, we discover elegant and urban designs , sometimes with a hint of retro. Practicality is not left aside , the brand offers different sizes adapted to accompany us in our daily lives and all the bags have several compartments to slip in the essentials.
Ashoka Paris won the Peta Fashion Award for best vegan bag two years in a row ( in 2018 and 2019 ) .
Ashoka Paris vegan bags have nothing to envy from those of the big leather goods brands: the style is there, the finishes are neat, the quality is there and the big plus is the notion of eco-responsibility brought by the brand.
A brand eco-responsible 100% vegan
Gwenaëlle and Frédéric do not support intensive farming or the resulting leather production, which is harmful to animals, the environment, and the humans who work in tanneries .
This is why they do not use any animal materials in the manufacture of their products, which are all PETA certified : no leather, no wool, no silk.
They have preferred to turn to vegan materials that are alternatives to leather of plant origin or recycled materials that have a much lower impact on the planet and its inhabitants, while being qualitative and sustainable.
Thus, Ashoka Paris overturns the codes of traditional leather goods and proves to us that ethical fashion is possible. Their pretty Vegan bags are the perfect example.
The brand donates part of its profits to animal protection associations.
Ashoka Paris, a pioneer in the use of alternative materials to leather
Appleskin: an alternative to apple leather
From its launch, Ashoka Paris has chosen innovative materials such asAppleskin . This alter-leather contains apple waste from the orchards of Bolzano, in northern Italy.
Ashoka Paris was one of the first leather goods brands to offer apple “leather” bags in France, which led to them being approached by Pamela Anderson, who collaborated with them on the creation of a capsule collection.
ECO-NAPPA: an IMITATION LEATHER of exceptional quality
Ashoka Paris also uses eco -nappa to make its vegan handbags. This material from Italy has an appearance and feel extremely close to leather, and the quality and resistance are more than there.
Although made of polyurethane, the environmental impact of eco-nappa remains lower than the production of animal -based materials .
Bio-sourced material
For the making of their vegan sneakers , Ashoka Paris chose a smooth Italian bio-sourced material , approved by PETA, made from vegetable oil from cereals not intended for consumption and free of GMOs. This beautiful alternative to leather is composed of: 53.04% cereal, 31% cotton and 14.96% polyurethane.
Recycled materials
Ashoka Paris uses a faux suede : microsuede, made from recycled polyester (61%) made from recycled plastic bottles. The touch is soft and velvety like suede.
The inner lining of bags and accessories is a fabric made from PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) which also comes from the recycling of plastic bottles.
It takes on average 2 to 3 PET bottles to make an Ashoka Paris bag interior .
Carefully selected manufacturing workshops
Since the beginning of the adventure, the Ashoka Paris brand has offered vegan bags with impeccable finishes . To design them, it had to find the best workshops capable of manufacturing by hand and providing precision work.
Furthermore, Gwenaëlle and Frédéric's values push them to look for workshops that offer good working conditions and respect their workers.
70% of production is European
The brand works with six manufacturing workshops , including five in Europe.
All the Ashoka Paris items are handcrafted by skilled workers. The founders regularly visit the site to build real connections with their partners and monitor productions .
They explain that they have chosen workshops on a human scale, where ethics, innovation and employee well-being are at the heart of their concerns .
- Three workshops are located in Portugal: two for bags and accessories , one for shoes.
- Two Parisian workshops make vegan bomber jackets and jackets .
- Ashoka Paris still works with its historic leather goods manufacturing workshop , which is located in Thailand. This workshop had been recommended to them by a friend who also worked in leather goods, and proved to them that Asia also knows how to produce ethically. By going there, Gwanaëlle and Frédéric met artisans and workers with exceptional know-how and happy in their work.
"It is important for us to produce the majority of our items in Europe, but maintaining a presence in Asia is a real asset, both in terms of know-how and the modernity of the tools and techniques used. We now have a second workshop, located in China. And when possible, we manufacture the items, particularly clothing, in France."
Custom-made clasps made in France
The clasps of the vegan bags and wallets are unique, made in a French family business located in Yonne , which develops metal accessories for the biggest leather goods houses.
This partner studies and defines the technical constraints linked to the operation of the clasp, which is then custom-designed in brass.
What is the meaning of Ashoka
Ashoka is the third emperor of the Indian dynasty of the Mauryas. To expand his empire, he waged extremely deadly wars , as a result of which he finally became aware of the value of life. He then adopted the non-violent principles of Buddhism, he forbade sacrifices, he promoted vegetarianism and decided to no longer kill animals on his lands.
By taking care of men and animals, he changed the mentalities of his time.
Ashoka is therefore a beautiful symbol of questioning, peace and evolution.