Young designers, industrialists…Westerners are now joining in too
In the West, a growing environmental awareness and the economic slowdown have precipitated Upcycling.
Local initiatives, exhibitions and happenings have multiplied and companies such as Terracycle, Upcycle Living or Enviroglas have rapidly developed.
All over Europe, new shops have been opened and English designers like Sarah Turner, Phil Cuttance and the Droog Design collective; the Spaniard Rodrigo Almeida, etc., are at the forefront.
And a few companies realised, several years ago, that this concept had some promising days ahead for itself.
The future is in the bag
In 2006, Jean-Marc and Marie Imberton launched Reversible, which has quickly become a reference in fashion bags and accessories made of reused sheeting.
For this, they have organised the collection and recovery of, among other things, old PVC advertising posters put up by large companies and are trying to give a second life to these materials. They have thought up a whole series of products ranging from bags to iPad cases, poufs and lamps.
Today, Reversible accessories are sold all over the world: the company’s charm lies in its joyful designs, its constant search for materials (recently, vinyl floor coverings, i.e. lino) and also its care in recycling its own products.
Marie and Jean-Marc Imberton want Reversible to be seen not only as a brand of articles made from recycled materials but also as a leading-edge eco-design company. “We want to weave new partnerships in the field of upcycling,” explains Jean-Marc. “It is not only a question of recycling: we reuse materials and give them a high added value.”
In 1993, brothers and graphic designers Markus and Daniel Freitag were looking for a messenger bag. In fact, real Zurich people get around on bikes. And they often find themselves out in the rain.
For their designs, the FREITAG brothers wanted a solid, functional and watertight bag.
Inspired by the colourful stream of heavy goods vehicles passing outside their apartment and on the roads of Zurich, they cut out a messenger bag from an old lorry tarpaulin. For the strap they used an old car safety belt and for the stitching an old bicycle inner tube.
The Freitag bag was born.
Today, Freitag products are on sale worldwide, in more than 350 shops and in their own shops in Berlin, Davos, Hamburg, etc. However, they are still made in Switzerland, close to the roads that inspired them.
Because they come from original sheeting materials and in different colours, cuts and patterns, all Freitag products are unique.
Fire hoses for trendy accessories
In the United Kingdom, E&KO (Elvis & Kresse Organisation) are offering a new range of accessories in PVC: handbags, belts, schoolbags, etc., made from old fire hoses salvaged from English fire stations.The insides of the bags are lined with old parachute silk.
Each bag is handmade, unique and, of course, as strong as you like.
As a mark of gratitude to British firefighters, 50% of the profit from sales goes to a “Fire Fighting Charity.”
These trusty old fire hoses, enjoying a second life after 25 years of loyal service saving lives and property, are not the only materials to be reclaimed by E&KO: pieces of sailcloth, old sunglasses, their cases, pallets, etc., are also recovered and turned into deco- and fashion accessories with very contemporary looks.
Products fired with imagination.
