PARTNERS
LEATHER
Leather is one of man’s earliest and most useful discoveries. Primitive man hunted wild animals for food, then made clothing, footwear and tents from the hides to protect themselves from nature’s elements. Like then, hides used today are by-products of animals raised for meat, dairy and wool industries, not for their hides.
Leather is sustainable, durable, doesn’t contain toxic material, eco-friendly, renewable and an upcycled product. When tanneries like our partner Simona Tanning Inc. use leather, they are helping our planet use a by-product of another industry that could be filling up our landfills. However even though the hides are saved from landfill, there remains an obstacle of finished leather waste being created from quality inspection and trimming requirements in the footwear, apparel, handbag, automotive and upholstery industries. Through Merake these scraps are given a new purpose.
Our leather is fully traceable to its origins, from accredited sources and ethically produced. Simona Tanning Inc. is a tannery specializing in American Life-Style leathers with 10 years experience. In 2015 Simona Tanning decided to expand its strategy into business segments, such as; casual shoes, women’s apparel, and white leathers. Their approach is to remain versatile and flexible, to be able to quickly respond to new trends and generational needs. Being ready for world changes regarding ecological and social sustainability, while at the same time valuing their clients and employees more. In 2019 Simona partnered with Merake to work toward bringing the concept of re-using leather scraps to life.
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Website: www.simonatanning.com
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PRODUCTION
​GTS group was established in 2009 to provide end-to-end production solutions in China and Europe – with a focus on manufacturing precision plastics & stainless-steel molds. After working in the manufacturing industry for many years, the company now focuses on avoiding and minimizing any type of waste materials within its value chain.
GTS is a proud member of the G7 Fashion Pact and is actively working towards increasing sustainability within the fashion industry.
In 2017, Grinvald Footwear was established under the GTS Group as their shoe division. The company focuses on circular design and recycling practices in their footwear manufacturing. In 2019 they launched their own sustainable brand called Roxan, with a focus on making a fully recycled-material footwear collection. Roxan partnered with Merake to specialize in recycle leather articles and products.
GTS not only partners with Merake to produce custom and unique products, but also introduced us to their Stone Box technology, and other products, represented on the website. Additionally Simona, GTS and Merake worked together to develop LeathSoles, another product line that can be found on the website
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Website: www.grinvaldfootwear.com
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SHOE BRAND
The partnership between Roxan and Merake was born from two company directors driven by the same goal and passion to reduce waste by creating further value from it. The two brands are based on the same circular production process re-using leather, plastic and rubber waste.
Pursuing green fashion, and combining their two skill-sets; one from the world of leather, and the other from shoes and rubber, in order to create fashionable and recyclable footwear collection along with other accessories made from recycled content.
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