A Mission Born from Food Waste
Allégorie was founded in 2019 by Heather Jiang, a University of Pittsburgh alumna who had built a career in finance before pivoting to follow a deeper calling. Throughout her time in Pittsburgh, Chicago, and New York, Jiang maintained a strong connection to the design world as a business consultant for boutique designers, and she remained committed to environmental and social causes through volunteer work with food rescue organizations.
It was that hands-on dedication to reducing food waste that sparked the idea for Allégorie. According to the United Nations, more than 930 metric tons of food waste end up in landfills every year, releasing methane gas as it decays. Jiang saw an opportunity to take her passion to a more impactful level. Rather than letting fruit scraps rot in a landfill, she began asking a bold question: what if those discarded apples, mangos, and cactus leaves could become something beautiful?
From Finance to Fruit Leather
Jiang spent years searching the globe for the right materials, experimenting with pineapple, mushroom, banana, and other plant-based alternatives before developing her own formula. Her company partners with juice manufacturers to collect pomace, the pulpy remnants left over after apple processing. That pomace is dehydrated, mixed with binding agents, and laminated onto recycled, plant-based fabric to create a leather-like material that is soft, durable, and remarkably similar in feel to traditional leather.
Fruit leathers for other collections are sourced through partnerships with smaller, community-based suppliers in countries including Japan, Italy, the Netherlands, and Taiwan. Jiang and her co-founder Jen make a point of visiting those facilities themselves and speaking directly with the people collecting and processing the fruit. Transparency and trust are built into the supply chain from the very beginning.
Made in New York, with Purpose
Once the fruit leather arrives, the actual making of every bag happens right in the heart of New York City, in the storied Garment District. Allégorie embraces that heritage proudly. Each piece is crafted in small batches by skilled local makers, and every dye used on the accessories is plant-based or environmentally friendly.
The lining inside Allégorie products is made from a combination of biomass-derived polymers, sourced from crops like corn or sugar cane, and recycled polyester fibers produced using 84 percent less energy than conventional manufacturing. Nothing is an afterthought. Every component of the bag is chosen with the same intention that inspired the brand in the first place.
Recognition and Growth
Allégorie has earned national attention from outlets including Forbes, Conde Nast Traveler, Vanity Fair, and Foodtank. The brand has been recognized by LUXLife Magazine as the Best Sustainable Vegan Accessory Brand in the USA for both 2024 and 2025, and was honored as part of the TEDNext gifting program in Atlanta, celebrating international changemakers and emerging innovators. In 2024, H&R Block named Heather Jiang the grand prize winner of its Fund Her Future grant, awarding her $50,000 and a year of business services to help scale the company.
Allégorie holds USDA certification for its bio-based materials, PETA certification as a cruelty-free brand, WFTO certification for fair trade practices, and OEKO-TEX certification confirming its products are free of harmful chemical substances.
