Cork is the bark extracted from the oak treec. It can be extracted when the tree is already 9 years old, and whenever it is removed it borns again. Cork production can be found mainly in Portuguese territory, more specifically in the south of Portugal, in the Alentejo region.
Over the years, cork has been used for an infinite number of applications, the most well-known is the famous wine stopper. Any good wine lover knows that if the stopper is not made of cork, the taste will no longer be the same. Other applications of cork are floor paving , wall covering and has already been used by NASA in its space missions. More recently, cork has been used in fashion, bags, wallets, caps, shoes. This diversity of applications is related to the versatility of characteristics of this material.
Cork is recognized for its permeability, fire resistance, lightness, resistance, it is hypoallergenic, and adding to all these characteristics, its environmental impact is practically nil. But does all cork have these great qualities?
Like animal skin used in fashion, when we talk about cork, we also talk about various quality ranges. Focusing on cork applied in fashion, this is what we found: large manufacturers and stockists of fur and fabrics in the fashion industry realized the demand and beauty of this material, and taking advantage of the remains of the cork stopper industry they started making fabrics containing cork – the problem is that cork is a natural material and has to be “glued” so that the final fabric can be used in bags or shoes. This process, when not done correctly, we end up with a material that will split and break despite all the good properties of cork.
In order to prevent this from happening and we can take advantage of the wonderful advantages of cork, we must seek out those who really understand this material – not fabrics or animal skins. The cork fabric created by those who have worked all life with this material, is tested to the last detail. Without tests it will be impossible to offer a product that the end consumer will be able to trust and that will last a good couple of years. My advice is to always look for quality certifications so that in the end you won’t be disappointed.
All Treec shoes use tested and certified cork with the CORK MARK quality seal awarded by the Confédération Européenne du Liège (CELiège), an organization founded in 1987. This certificate proves its genuineness, assuring the consumer that he is buying genuine cork and not a product with a seal imitating cork.
