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Heather Jiang, MBA ’16, launched Allégorie, a high-end accessories brand whose vegan ‘leather’ is made from fruit

By Melissa Newcomb

What do you get when you combine fruit pulp with the dream of starting a sustainable business? For Heather Jiang, MBA ’16, the answer is a line of luxury accessories for men and women made from an unusual form of plant-based “leather.”

Jiang is the founder of Allégorie, an online retailer based in NYC that makes its products from fruit—including apples, mangoes, and pineapples—that would otherwise become waste.

For example, each Gala Puzzle Cardholder—a fan-favorite product, priced at $86, that features an overlapping, geometric design—requires the pulp from 25 apples.

The $165 Gala Bifold Wallet—each made from 100 apples—was featured in a Forbes guide of Valentine’s Day gifts for men; the brand has also appeared in fashion media like Vanity Fair and Marie Claire.

Heather Jiang smiles wearing a light brown button down standing in front of a brick wall. — Samuel Moskowitz

“Stylish and smart,” said Forbes, “these wallets offer an alternative to the usual leather wallet and give a sustainable cachet to your significant other’s fashion and accessory choices.”

Other Allégorie offerings include crossbody bags, purses, wallets, totes, and backpacks—all colored in deep hues using vegetable-based dyes.

The company also partners with NYC-based artists to create limited-edition offerings in other categories, like clothing and hats.

A card holder from Allegorie made from mango, surrounded by three mangos, that shows flecks of orange mango in the dark brown leather. — A mango-based cardholder and a fruit-themed handbag.

A black purse from Allegorie with brightly colored fruits painted on it in purple, blue, green, pink, orange, and red. — A mango-based cardholder and a fruit-themed handbag.

“Every time I tell somebody that my bag is made from fruit, you can see their eyes light up,” says Jiang, who launched the business in 2019. “They often think it’s a joke.”

Jiang had the idea for accessories made from fruit leather while working at a financial technology start-up—and she later crafted her initial prototypes from a popular children’s snack.

Every time I tell somebody that my bag is made from fruit, you can see their eyes light up.

“The whole idea behind the material that we use is Fruit Roll-Ups,” she says. “We wanted to take it to the next level, so people could say, ‘Hey, my bag is made from apples or mangoes,’ and still have it be cool and sophisticated.”

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Jiang had been craving something more engaging than number-crunching, and was looking to launch a company that would contribute to environmental sustainability.

Heather Jiang looks at swatches of her colorful fruit leather on a table in front of her. — Samuel Moskowitz

And food waste is a major issue: according to the United Nations Environment Programme, up to 50% of food produced worldwide isn’t consumed—with some 931 million tons ending up in landfills each year.

Says Jiang: “The idea is about making things that people can use every day, and that serve as a reminder that there are different ways to do business.”

According to the United Nations Environment Programme, up to 50% of food produced worldwide isn’t consumed—with some 931 million tons ending up in landfills each year.

Now, Allégorie partners with juice producers looking to upcycle their food waste.

After being collected from juice factories, the fruit pulp is dehydrated, slowly dried at low heat, and compressed into strips.

A close up of apple pomace food waste that is used to make Allegorie products. — Apple pomace, ready to become fruit leather.

The leather-like material is shipped to NYC, where the final products are made in small batches.

Since some fruits—such as mango—are more seasonal than others, Allégorie’s offerings are constantly evolving. With apples most readily available throughout the year, they form the basis of many of its products.

Among the other plants that are upcycled into Allégorie accessories: nopal, or prickly pear cactus, a popular ingredient in Mexican cuisine.

“You can have a circular business model,” Jiang says, “where you input food waste that would end up in the garbage, and it comes out as something beautiful.”

Top: Allégorie's Gala Puzzle Cardholder. (All photos provided, unless otherwise indicated.)

Published June 30, 2025