From Cinci, E13 is made up of 3 guys with a brilliant take on recycling and a lovely, refined aesthetic. Their Day Bag (featured on Core77) is made almost entirely from salvaged car parts. We've seen seat belts used as straps before, but I love the idea of re-using the airbag fabric.
They only have 4 products listed on their site. The Day Bag and an upright duffel that uses truck tarps to give it a pop of color.
But what really made me swoon was that stunning table, which looks like one of my glass pieces, but done much larger and in wood. These guys are worth watching.
Images from E13. Via Core77.
Hot tip from Tricia, "I chased a dude down this weekend (like a crazy lady) to find out about his awesome bag. He bought it in London. I found their website. The bag is super well made and beautiful in person."
The bags are designed by Edson Raupp, and are all made from thrifted mens suits. They are available at a few (all overseas) locations. If you must have one, and you're not going to London anytime soon, you can buy online from the Victoria and Albert Museum shop. Always with the most expensive taste, I fell hard for the labels one.Images from Suitcase and the VAM.
Ecoist has been making candy wrapper bags since 2004. They're cute conversation pieces, but they've always been very "Look! I'm RECYCLED." I have a confetti onelook li, and the in-your-face greenness is part of its charm. Recently they launched a line of sleek, graphic bags that look like giant candies themselves and give no hint they're made from landfill-bound materials.
Super cute, and the lime and red ones are currently on sale. Check them out.
Images from Ecoist. Thanks to Ecouterre for the tip.
These bags from reMade USA are recycled and SF-made. Designer Shannon South prowls local thrift shops for dated leather jackets, then turns them into these lovelies, right here in SF. Every detail is considered--Even the linings are vintage scarves. If you want one custom-made from that purple leather number you wore in high school (fringe? What were you thinking?), you can send it in. If you're not that sentimental, or if you had better taste in your younger years, she'll gladly use something interesting you found at Thrift Town. Of course, you'll have to beat her to it.
Most people don't consider leather "green," but these bags are a double win, putting eco-friendly products in the market for those who still want leather, and reusing fashions that are well past their freshness date. It's all part of South's approach to being a product designer, and this shines through in her work:
reMade USA was born out of the concern with creating yet another product to add to the gazillions already on this planet. I have a strong belief that if one is to be a product designer, there’s an important responsibility in thinking about what materials might do to the environment and how the people manufacturing them are being affected.
If you want to know more, there's a great article on reMade in Fast Company. The bags are destined for Barney's (SF and NY) this fall. Get yours now, before the fashionistas turn them into the next hot thing. Images from reMade USA. Thanks to Alex for the tip.
Ornjbags are handmade from construction fencing. Genius, affordable, and available on Etsy. Nothing else to say, except that I don't technically need another bag, and my birthday in August....
Images from ornjbags
I love things made from firefighter gear, but the Valor bag is the best I've seen yet. Out of my budget, but maybe within yours. If you have a firefighter in your life, Etsy seller cleverscene will gladly make a custom bag with your retired firefighter coat. Her other bags are cute, too.
Images from cleverscene. Via ReNest.
A couple of years ago, my love gave me one of these 2nd Draft clutches as a present. It's woven from vintage library archive microfilm. Mine has awesome fashion photos from the style section of the NY Times, circa 1968.
The artist also designs cuff bracelets from old school heath filmstrips and lamps, similar to the ismism fixtures we featured last week. The filmstrip ones have a nice vintage amber glow to them, but I like this one best of all. You can't really tell from the photos, but that's an old Aquaman cartoon spinning around your CFLs. Nice!
Images from 2nd Draft @ Etsy. 
Amsterdam-based Elvis & Kresse (E&KO) make bags and more from decommissioned fire hoses. The bags are great, in a stylish deep red with an aged patina. The company makes the usual things (wallets, card cases, keychains), which are cool enough, then turns left into the ΓΌber cool, with belts, guitar straps, and the hottest wrap-around cufflinks ever.
Most of the line is available in the US from Noblivity.
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These bags from reMade USA are recycled and SF-made. Designer Shannon South prowls local thrift shops for dated leather jackets, then turns them into these lovelies, right here in SF. Every detail is considered--Even the linings are vintage scarves. If you want one custom-made from that purple leather number you wore in high school (fringe? What were you thinking?), you can send it in. If you're not that sentimental, or if you had better taste in your younger years, she'll gladly use something interesting you found at Thrift Town. Of course, you'll have to beat her to it.
Most people don't consider leather "green," but these bags are a double win, putting eco-friendly products in the market for those who still want leather, and reusing fashions that are well past their freshness date. It's all part of South's approach to being a product designer, and this shines through in her work:
