Eco Jewelry, Bags & Accessories
Environmentally Friendly Fashion Made from Reclaimed Waste Materials
Designers transform billboards, candy wrappers, food packages and other waste materials into eco jewelry, handbags, wallets, purses, messenger bags, and yoga mats.
Reusable Waste Materials Inspire Innovative Design
Almost everything we purchase is enveloped in a sheath of plastic, foil, or paper wrap. While more people are taking the time to recycle the packaging and paper when we can, most of us don't think about what happens to our waste products after they leave our garbage can or blue bin.
Designers Transforming Garbage into High End Fashion Accessories
Unless you're super crafty, you probably won't be reusing your own garbage as part of your wardrobe, but you can do your part by supporting designers who are showing "green" innovation by reclaiming waste materials as fodder for sustainable fashion. Here are a couple to watch:
Donkey
What happens to those giant billboards you pass by every day on your way to work – you know, those massive patchworks of paper showcasing movies, products and messages for all to see? Never thought about it? Well, a couple of New Zealanders based in New York City came up with an incredibly clever way to reuse these mammoth waterproof rip-stop vinyl ads.
Donkey Styles & Prices
Donkey creates an entire line of purses, messenger bags, totes and yoga mat bags made from recycled billboards. Each bag is unique and numbered so that simply by hopping on their website and entering the product code you can be introduced to your bag's original beginnings as a billboard – what a fantastic idea!. That's right: fashion literally cut from the streets of New York City.
The price point on the range of donkey bags is quite reasonable, ranging from $12 for a small purse, to just $65 for their roomiest style, a large tote bag.
Ecoist
Founded in 2004, Ecoist is a fresh-minded design company that develops unique gifts and fashion accessories for the eco-minded individual. The take candy wrappers, food packages, billboards, and other materials that would otherwise get tossed into landfills.
Ecoist says their objective is to merge design with social and environmental consciousness, to provide stylish, functional, and durable products that people will love to own. All of their products are created from recycled, organic, or earth-friendly materials, and are manufactured through a network of international fair trade partnerships. Ecoist insists that they'll continue their transformation of waste-bound products into fashionable accessories until non-biodegradable materials are no longer manufactured.
Ecoist Styles & Prices
Shiny, metallic, pull-tab purses, candy-wrapper wallets, movie billboard handbags, and rice bag totes provide something for every kind of fashionista. The woven texture and metallic finish of many of their creations is an novel fusion of some of the season's hottest trends, such as the tribal and metallic fashion trends.
With the smaller accessories such as bracelets clock in at around $12, and larger, more elaborately crafted items priced up to $120, the price point on the Ecoist accessories is on par with products fabricated from new materials, but the fabrication is impeccable, and the designs are truly inspired.
You don't need to be granola to go green; savvy style can save the planet too!
