Green Options

Terri Bly discussing OLovesM’s brilliant use of yoga mat remnants as the base for their adorable, fashion-forward collection of bags.

A quick introduction to Kim White’s line of gorgeous handbags, made from recycled vintage unholstery fabrics.

Sustainable bag reporting continues from Part I. There are so many great choices!

Muumuu Heaven is a shop located on the windward side of Oahu, Hawaii. The family-run business got so busy producing eco-conscious and original women’s apparel from recycled Hawaiian garments, they decided to collaborate with another designer for bags to stock.

Kauai is a neighbor island, same state of Hawaii, where Denise Tjarks structures new life also from old muumuu, aloha shirts and fabric remnants. Word is spreading so fast, it’s impossible to share an exclusive not sold. But you get the idea from these two illustrations. Above is Maia, the pretty green plant print. Below that is the reverse side, an orange small floral print. Both reversible option sides are made from vintage mu’umu’us circa 1970.

From A to Z and across the globe are earth-friendly status bags for every imaginable purpose. I start with Alchemy Goods where founder Eli Reich combined his green lifestyle with a misfortune in Seattle. His stolen messenger bag story inspired him to become an accessory designer who combines bicycle inner tubes, car seat belts, and billboard vinyl.

The company was honored to display their messenger bag beginning May 15th at the Sustainable Fashion Symposium in The Design Museum of University of California at Davis, which runs until July 13th, 2008. So exciting that a blog was created just for the event.

I’ve been told that artistic Seattleites in the Emerald City are famed for introducing grunge music, and that the craze made unkempt appearances a trend. This cool unisex bag can style you either way; vogue or grunge!

Through inspired design and responsible business practices, Helen E Riegle uses chic yet sustainable materials to produce stylish and unique handbags and laptop bags consumers can feel good about carrying.

Our design and business goals are one: to drive trends and create meaningful change in our world. A few years ago, we began asking the question: “Can a handbag save the world?” We weren’t just trying to be provocative. Our rationale remains [...]