NATIVE UNION’S SLEEK (RE)CLASSIC APPLE WATCH BANDS ARE MADE OF PLANT-BASED LEATHER

If you’re an iPhone user with a taste for leather cases, you might already know all about Native Union’s knack for designing high-quality accessories, like their leather MagSafe iPhone 14 case, made in collaboration with Maison Kitsuné. Now there’s a similar cruelty-free Italian leather-inspired band for your Apple Watch. It’s made of Yatay, a leather-like compound that makes up the construction of Native Union’s gorgeous (Re)Classic Apple Watch Band design, and you can get your own for $59.99.

Designer: Native Union

Buy it now on Amazon

If you told me the (Re)Classic Band for Apple Watch in its light brown Kraft colorway was made of repurposed mycelium — fungal threads spanning long distances underground, which mushrooms blossom out of — I absolutely would not believe you. And yet, that’s one of the many all-natural resources used in the synthesis of Yatay by Coronet.

It sounds like everything from Native Union’s stainless steel clasp to its comfortable, soft-lined backing is made of recycled materials. (Re)Classic style is finely textured, giving it a sophisticated look that does quite a bit to distract from the fact it… isn’t made of genuine leather. Still, the high level of craftsmanship lent to these intricately-designed plant-based leather wristbands is difficult to deny.

All of Native Union’s straps come with integrated lugs, which connect directly to the Apple Watch — specifically, the little cutouts on the top and bottom of the Apple Watch where a wristband is locked in place. That means they blend naturally with any color configuration, and Native Union really wants to emphasize how important that is, citing the integrated lugs as a central focal point of (Re)Classic design ethos on its official product page:

“We designed (Re)Classic Band to match the textured elegance of (Re)Classic Case for iPhone and AirPods, now for your Apple Watch. Made to be a refined complement to your digital timepiece, we went one step further with fully wrapped integrated lugs so that the straps becomes a seamless extension of your Apple Watch without any visible hardware. A leather-like strap with wrapped lugs is something we’ve been searching for for a while now, so we made it ourselves.”

If you own one of the older Apple Watch Series, don’t worry: these bands come in two sizes that are compatible with every main-line Apple Watch model, depending on the size you wear. Though, you’ll want to specifically order the 38/40/41mm configuration if you’re rocking an Apple Watch SE or SE 2. And likewise, you’ll want to go for the 42/44/45mm measurement if you’re planning to attach one of these fine wristbands to an Apple Watch Ultra or Ultra 4.