CUSTOMER_COUNTRY Queork - Luxury Cork Handbags and Accessories
 
Company Information

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EXCLUSIVELY DESIGNED BY
 QUEORK IN THE
 
FRENCH QUARTER
 NEW ORLEANS, LA

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HAND MADE CORK
FABRIC
MONTIJO, PORTUGAL


 





FEELING IS BELIEVING

When you think of cork most think of the traditional wine stoppers that seem fragile and dry.  Cork leather is made from the same Cork Oak Tree (Quercus Suber) yet is boiled down to break the rigid
structure and then shaved thin.  Finally it is glued to a cotton fabric backing and sealed twice to ensure its durability for 10 years or more with rugged use. 

To the touch cork is soft and warm like suede.  In addition, cork is lightweight making it a great material for bags that will be filled with more items making genuine leather counterparts hard on the shoulder and back.  These bags are water and stain resistant and because they are made with a natural (and sustainable) material they will never fade!





Queork, LLC
607 Dumaine
French Quarter
New Orleans, LA 70116
918.899.9299 ph
214.594.4188 fax
info@queork.com

About Us

New Orleans based QUEORK is owned by Amanda Dailey and Julie Araujo.  It became a full time business in early 2012 starting with internet sales only of import products from Portugal.  In April 2012, Amanda and Julie visited Julie's family home in Estoril, Portugal where Amanda sought a collar for her Bernese Mountain Dog Walter, but none could be found.   Finally, a cork manufacturer agreed to make the collar but only if they bought 500 collars!  At first this seemed like another dead end but Amanda visited several pet stores in the following days asking if the stores would be interested in retailing such a collar.  After all, a cork collar is mildew and odor resistant, hypo-allergenic, water proof and the suberin in cork naturally repels mosquitoes!  The retailers took interest and the green light was given for 500 collars. 
From that first run, QUEORK started having it's own line of products manufactured and designed several new items for the cork market that were tested online and at various art festivals in New Orleans.  Once the product line was tested, QUEORK gathered enough inventory to open a store dedicated to all cork handbags and accessories located just 1 block east of Jackson Square in the French Quarter between Chartres and Royal. 


Our Products

At Queork we are dedicated to all products made using genuine cork fabric. Our products are made with 100% cork fabric which is a handmade process of adhering thin slices of cork bark to fabric backing using beeswax. Cork is an extremely durable product and is naturally water and stain resistant. To the touch cork fabric is soft like suede or extremely soft leather. There are several patterns of cork fabric from natural to dark as well as mixed striped patterns.

Why Cork Material?

QUEORK wants to educate consumers on all of the amazing qualities of this natural and vegan material.  The reason cork has been used for hundreds of years as a wine stopper is that the cell structures of cork bark are impenetrable and at the same time its elasticity makes it flexible.  

We love the natural look and feel of cork but also this is one of the most effective materials out there that is long lasting and durable.  When you think of a good bag that costs in excess of $100 think of the following traits next to the traditional bags made of leather, suede or other quality fabrics:

  • Water and Moisture Resistant.  In the first week of owning her new cork bag the owner of QUEORK unknowingly set her bag on wet paint for about 10 minutes before it was brought to her attention.  The bottom was covered in white paint and she simply walked over to the sink and wiped the paint off with mild soap and water using a sponge.  Try that with suede.
  • Fade and Stain Resistant.  The majority of our retail clients today are those who have owned cork products over several years.  It lasts!  When was the last time you had an ink pen leak through your bag to find your investment ruined by something so common as a leaky pen?
  • Cork is Vegan. - The Cork Oak's bark is responsible for cork.  The tree's first harvest it when the tree reaches 25 years of age and the bark is stripped from the tree much like a sheep's wool is sheared and the cork cannot be re-harvested for about 10 years each time.  Cork is extracted only from early May to late August, when the cork can be separated from the tree without causing permanent damage.
  • Lightweight/low density.  Cork floats!  This is due to the characteristic that it is impenetrable by liquids yet it has extremely low density.  Think of 1 million tiny balloons packed into 1 square centimeter of space and this is the cellular structure of cork which is 50% air space.  For many of us that carry bags around full of heavy items, the last thing we need is the bag to add extra weight to that burden.  A cork bag weighs less than half the weight of an identical bag made of leather and yes, we have put our bags in the swimming pool to watch them float!


      
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