Bio-based leather takes forefront of sustainability

Long before Tal de Guzman’s sustainable brand Konstrata Leather became a topic of conversation on material innovation and sustainability, she had early on moved through design, footwear and social enterprise with an unshakeable resolve and passion via her various projects and advocacies.

Raised within a family of business owners whose careers included culinary, hospitality, engineering, fabrication and construction, the specific terms of operations and long-term goals were familiar. While her siblings gravitated toward aligned industries and finance, Tal took a different route — one which leaned toward stewardship and material experimentation.

An all-girls education at Miriam College influenced her formative years, followed by an initial foray into Management at the Ateneo de Manila University. An eventual shift to a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art Management degree signaled an early understanding that art and systems could coexist.

Work experience followed, then formal fashion training at the School of Fashion and the Arts — where she would later return as a faculty member — and further entrepreneurship studies at The One School, a non-traditional personalized college. 

Her academic path continued with a Master in Entrepreneurship, Social Enterprise Development Track at the Ateneo Graduate School of Business, where she graduated with two commendations and a gold medal under the mentorship of the late Dr. Eduardo Morato Jr. 

Footwear entered her professional life in 2011 through Risqué Designs, her social enterprise rooted in craft and collaboration. Risqué has since grown into a respected name for custom shoes and made-to-order models for its own clientele. Likewise, she runs small-batch manufacturing, working with premium local brands. Materials, craftsmanship and community are constant reference points. Her design sensibility — once upon a time more experimental and avant-garde, as evidenced by her pioneering designs — has evolved into subdued wearable forms infused with Filipino textiles, techniques and narratives.

Parallel to creation, Tal is an educator. In partnerships with foundations, non-profits and schools, she has shared technical knowledge on shoemaking and the realities of building a footwear business through Workshops by Tal.

Today, she teaches part-time at the De La Salle–College of Saint Benilde’s Fashion Design and Merchandising Program, as well as at the Ateneo de Manila University John Gokongwei School of Management.

And while at Benilde, Konstrata Leather was born. What started as thesis consultations gradually revealed a shared curiosity around materials of all sorts.

“I’ve been working with real leather and local weaves, as well as exploring other sustainable materials. I met Micca Amor when she took her thesis under my class, while she was brainstorming a wool and alginate-based leather for her capstone collection,” she recounted.

“Vinz Mamalateo sought my advice when he was still developing the Philip-Anaban brand for his thesis,” the expert continued.

“He sort of came into a road block and was about to quit, when we met again at an event of the community platform The Spark Project. I told him about Micca and the possibility of working together. From then on, we explored samples, and also participated in their crowdfunding campaign. We raised enough funds to develop the product more. We purchased a small dehydrator to enable a faster process.”

Today, Konstrata produces bio-based leather alongside by-products such as leather goods, bags and shoes, while remaining open to collaborations with industrial designers and other brands. Scaling, however, remains a careful aspiration. For Tal, growth must align with access, affordability and ethics, especially if sustainable materials are to move beyond niche conversations.

“For Risqué, our main product is footwear. We do custom shoes for our own B2C clientele. We likewise manufacture shoes for other premium local brands such as Marquina, Cariñosa, Hayo and Overlay,” she clarified.

When asked about her driving force, she declared “For shoes, I usually get inspired by materials and craftsmanship. I like exploring the handmade and handicraft communities all over the Philippines and even in other countries.”

One designer she adores is the flamboyant and outspoken Iria Apfel, known for her quote “More is more and less is a bore.” “I love her fashion choices, showing that creativity has no age limit,” the entrepreneur stated.

Outside the vibrant studio and lively campus, her life remains layered. She supports her husband’s advocacy-driven cycling hub and co-owns a physiotherapy clinic focused on healing. She continues to pursue interests in theater, biking and learning — often juggling more than she should, by her own admission. Neurodivergence, chronic pain due to fibromyalgia and pressure coexist with resilience, humor and a growing commitment to rest. “Being still is something that is not easy for me, but is also something I’m working on,” the educator admitted.

We sat down with the creative lady for her thoughts on sustainability:

On plant-based leather

“Bio-based leather is the term we used to describe our material for Konstrata.  Common terms used for similar materials are ‘plant-based,’ ‘vegetable leather,’ or ‘plant leather.’ We currently work with banana trunks and alginate. But eventually, we plan to explore other organic materials.” 

On sourcing materials

“First, we source our banana trunks from the farms of another social enterprise called Villa Socorro Farm, owned by a friend, Raymund Aaron, makers of the Sabanana Chips and others. They do some processing with the trunks first, but we further process it to be ready for adding to our solution. We put into molding sheets, which we hope to be bigger, once we have a bigger dehydrator. For the colors, we currently use synthetic dyes for cost and consistency purposes. But we hope to eventually use natural dyes.”

On industry peers

“I do appreciate having peers in the local shoe industry. Some of the ones I share most values with are the founders and owners of other shoemaking companies: Blackwing (Buddy Tan), Posh Pocket Shoes (Nadine & Pao Lansangan), Zapateria (Unyx Sta. Ana) and Godfather Shoes (Aaron Angeles). We don’t meet or talk as often but I do appreciate that we have common ground on some of our goals or hopes for the industry.”

On advice to aspiring creators

“The path to whatever you wish to pursue is not usually a straight line. I went through a lot of detours to be able to land on something that I really liked doing. Don’t be afraid to try something that might not directly add value to your current work, but perhaps in the future you can use them. Some of the best ideas come from combining unusual interests or fields together.”

On her book

“I have recently finished writing my book, entitled Salitang Sapatos, an illustrated book on Filipino shoemaking. This includes illustrations, definitions, pronunciations and etymology of Tagalog terminologies in footwear, which I hope contributes to the preservation of the craft and its language. This is written in both English and Filipino, so it can be accessible to non-Filipino speaking audiences. It is illustrated in a welcoming way kids or those without background in the industry. The manuscript is with the publisher, Gantala Press, and is set for release this May 2026.”