If you follow my instagram, you probably know that I recently visited Lisbon, Portugal. Portugal is an absolutely beautiful country with such rich culture, intricate architecture, and so much history. There were a lot of highlights to the trip; Sintra, Bica District, Belem, Bairro Alto, Alfama, the list goes on and on.
What really stood out though was Portugal's unique cork fashion. This was the first time I had seen the versatility of cork. There were cork shoes, wallets, notebooks, pens, jewelry, and even cork soap and postcards (both of which I took home).
But I was super confused as to why cork was so big here in Portugal. Turns out Portugal loves everything cork. It's the biggest producer and exporter of cork. But, why cork? Cork is hypoallergenic, natural, renewable, impermeable, and sustainable!! With all of these benefits, I'm surprised to see such little cork use in America and other countries.
I have to say though, these cork items were pretty expensively priced. But it is important to remember that there is a reason why sustainable items, and sustainable fashion in particular, is priced this way.