One medium that lends itself well to the use of discarded materials are bags - handbags, totes, backpacks, attache bags, wallets. I have seen an incredible array of bags made entirely from, or at least incorporating trash, or what would one day surely be bound for landfill but for this creative re-fabrication. Some of my favorites are one of a kind, few of a kind or one-of-a-kind pieces. Lately, billboards have been getting a lot of mileage in the eco-accessories world.
One medium that lends itself well to the use of discarded materials are bags - handbags, totes, backpacks, attache bags, wallets. I have seen an incredible array of bags made entirely from, or at least incorporating trash, or what would one day surely be bound for landfill but for this creative re-fabrication. Some of my favorites are one of a kind, few of a kind or one-of-a-kind pieces. Lately, billboards have been getting a lot of mileage in the eco-accessories world.
Take Vy & Elle’s line of recycled billboard bags…get it Vy & Elle = vinyl. Took me a while. While the overall design is the same from bag to bag within a style, the colors and graphics on each vary. Even Vy & Elle has no control over the patterns and colors they end up with as all of the bags are made from misprinted and recycled roadside billboard materials. Even their scraps get made into things like garden hoses. You’ll get bags with readable words and recognizable logos, especially when they use billboards from high profile companies like Coca Cola. The colors can be vibrant and mixed, or muted and uniform, and each bag is a surprise. Other companies are also making use of discarded billboards, with their own take on design, but Vy & Elle’s design aesthetic tends toward the more fashion oriented, ranging from small handbags and wallets to attache cases. I love the new Leili clutch and Angel Hobo, and the DJ bags are a classic that nobody tires of.
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Other billboard collections of note are those by Ecoist, who uses primarily movie billboards in their streamlined collection; Ecologic Designs, with an emphasis their on performance oriented board bags and messengers, and Relan, whose collection of messengers, totes and other small accessories tends toward the utilitarian (in a good way). Haul is another line of billboard based products based in Australia that includes messengers, totes and wallets, but also things like aprons, dog leads and even bean bags, and Was Bags is another line from down under (New Zealand), mainly making totes and messengers. Shibby Bag is another, and Tube is a Holland based line with some great designs as well. I know I have seen a couple others, but they are currently escaping me, and I have seen several small artists making their own limited edition lines as well, so choice is not an issue here. Ideally, the best company to go with is the one manufacturing closest to your hometown.
Alchemy Goods takes a slightly different approach by using a smaller used sign material, mostly outdoor banners as opposed to the larger street side billboards for their Ad bags and wallets. Their Ad Bag boasts 100% recycled materials, including mesh recycled banners, recycled seatbelt nylon and recycled bicycle inner tubes in their one-of shopping bags. Almost all of the lines do mix in new some hardware and other new materials for things like lining, contrast, handles and the like, using metals and plastics, but they all use care in sourcing these new materials and use them to strengthen the integrity of the items…making them last longer and work better, which after all, is at the core of sustainable design. Overall, the brands making these bags are diverting materials from landfills and reducing the draw on the planets raw natural resources by making creative use of existing materials, and honestly, when did billboards ever look so good?
