Introducing Cervo Volante – a brand new company which produces environmentally friendly high quality shoes, coats and jackets out of hunting waste.
The idea of Cervo Volante was born in a climbing hall in Zürich where Kadri – a seasoned businesswoman and chemist, and Conny, a keen hunter and biologist, used to go climbing together once a week. They became friends and in addition to the common hobby they discussed different issues related to work, values and life in general. At one point Conny mentioned how much valuable raw material such as skins was wasted as nobody cared to use hunting waste. Being responsible people, who respect animals and care about our planet and its future, making use of such waste was a topic very close to their hearts and every time they went climbing they continued the same discussion – would it be possible to produce some “natural luxury” out of that wild, valuable but wasted raw material? That was in February 2016.
Active as they were, they went further than just words. First, they made a feasibility study – researched tanneries and technologies on the Internet. The next step was to call some workshops and ask about tanning opportunities, then they visited tanneries and leather goods producers (including Silvano Sassetti and Meindl-Fashion). As both the above mentioned producers were very interested in cooperation and able to produce according to their specifications, they decided, in September 2016, to give it a try and in October they hired their first employee.
By then Kadri had already been actively looking for a fashion designer who might be interested in cooperation but would also share their values and principles. She contacted young and talented Piret Puppart, a professor and head of department at the Estonian Academy of Arts, who was full of inspiration and new ideas. Nature is also very close to Piret’s heart, so she wholeheartedly welcomed the concept and joined the team in October 2016.
In a nutshell, this is how it all started and by now there are five people in the team, the basic tanning methods and prototypes have been developed and the first products will be ready to ship in mid-December this year.
Now, we’d like to say some words about the blog and what to expect here.
First of all – the hunt. It’s a controversial issue and many people tend to immediately reject even the idea of it. But we assure you – do not be afraid of the hunt. Hunting as means of regulating the natural balance has always existed. Hunting has always been a part of coexistence between humans and wildlife. This is something we’ll cover in more detail in this blog – hunting, why it is important, how it is related to maintaining the natural balance etc, why our products can be bought and worn with clean conscience etc.
What we want to achieve with this blog is to introduce our products, but also our world outlook, the way how our production fits in the zero waste philosophy. Our shoes, boots and jackets should become a good alternative to the fast fashion products, made of artificial materials of suspicious origin. Yes, they are a bit on the luxurious side but they are durable, made out of materials which otherwise would have gone to the dump. The skins are tanned in an environmentally friendly manner, using only natural ingredients. This is the new face of luxury – not just pointless products designed by a famous name but a product with a story and consciousness behind it.