Proxiel, Durable Alternative Leather Stronger Than Animal Leather... "Realizing Fashion Without Discrimination"

Utilizing Recycled Plastic Leather
Donating 2% of Profits to WWF
Reducing Carbon Footprint through Localization
Aiming to Expand Lifestyle Brand

Tote bag sold by Proxyel.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chunhan] "We pursue a minimal yet practical design that can be used regardless of race, gender, time, place, or situation. All products use plant-based and recycled plastic leather instead of animal materials, realizing fashion that does not discriminate against animals."

Seo Jae-soon, CEO of Toward Green (operator of Proxyel), said in an interview with Asia Economy on the 7th, "Proxyel is a name combining ‘Proxy,’ meaning substitute, and the ‘L’ from leather, with the slogan that all people and all species are equal. We present all products with alternative leather and donate 2% of our profits to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)."

The representative product, the tote bag, features a simple rectangular design with only a handle, and its unique design allows it to open and close with hidden magnets instead of a zipper, making it very popular. CEO Seo explained, "A single tote bag product generates an average monthly sales of over 15 million KRW, and since the brand launch, sales have grown 30-40% each quarter. Even without separate marketing, the average rating is as high as 4.9 out of 5."

CEO Seo introduced localization as Proxyel’s most important value. He stated, "Instead of fast fashion produced through multiple countries following fashion cycles to reduce costs, we reduce carbon footprints by narrowing production regions and promote regional coexistence. This is the meaning behind our approach." Another goal is to promote the excellence of alternative leather products. Seo emphasized, "I want to change the fixed notion that animal leather aging is called ‘aging,’ but when synthetic leather wears out, it is considered cheap. In fact, there are many reviews saying that alternative leather products are good and remain sturdy and look new even after long use."

Recently, to respond to overseas demand, they built an English mall based on the Cafe24 platform and are selling products in Singapore, Japan, and the United States. CEO Seo said, "In the second half of the year, along with overseas business, we plan to expand offline business by introducing products to zero-waste shops. In the future, we want to expand the brand beyond fashion to offer valuable lifestyles in various fields such as food and wood design."