Do You Know Corozo?

Do You Know Corozo?

If you have ever sewn a garment with buttons, you know that the right button matters. Buttons, for better or worse, can dramatically influence the look of your finished garment. Most people think of plastic, wood and metal as the main substances from which buttons are made. But one of our favourite materials for buttons is corozo.


What is Corozo?

Corozo is a natural material. It comes from the nuts of Phytelephas aequatorialis, a rainforest tree also known as tagua palm or ivory-nut palm, that is native to South America. After harvesting and drying, the resulting material is hard and dense. It’s similarity to ivory has earned it the nickname “vegetable ivory”.


From Nut to Button

There are a few steps in the process of converting the nut into buttons.

1.     Harvesting and Drying: nuts are collected after they have fallen to the ground and sun-dried for many months to harden them.


2.     Cutting and Shaping: The nuts are cut into discs and then shaped into various sizes and shapes.


3.     Polishing and Dyeing: After polishing to create a smooth surface, the buttons are coloured using eco-friendly dyes or left as their natural creamy white colour. It can sometimes take weeks of sitting in the dye for the corozo to absorb it and create the desired colour.
 

Why We’re Fans

Corozo buttons are sustainable, renewable, and have minimal environmental footprint. Because the nuts fall to the ground before harvesting, the tagua trees are completely unharmed and can go on to produce even more nuts.

Because they aren’t plastic, these buttons are biodegradable, although we can’t imagine why you wouldn’t re-use them on future garments. They are durable and resist scratching, meaning they’ll likely outlast their plastic counterparts.

One of the nicest things about corozo buttons is their grain. It makes each button genuinely unique. Coming in a range of styles, sizes and colours, they are the perfect complement to your me-made garments, which also happen to be unique!