Who needs to keep their cubicle stocked with analog paraphernalia now that we’ve all moved to paperless offices? Well, if you’re Margarita Mileva, obsolete office supplies make the perfect components for vibrant jewelry, such as twisty necklaces made from multicolored rubber bands, chokers pieced together from wire binding, and pendants fashioned from circular paper clips.
The bow tie has shaken off its erstwhile affectations of late and is popping up amid a very current crop of designers with a penchant for all things prep. But why reinvent the wheel when you can cut these classic ties from a cloth that imparts each with a unique sense of history? That’s the approach taken by XOElle, who handcrafts each elegant tie from an “unloved men’s shirt.” Giant floppy bows they’re not. These prim bowties are fit as a fiddle and perfect for a spring fling.
Philadelphia-based design duo Something’s Hiding in Here uses reclaimed wood and other eco-friendly materials to make funky accessories that are fun to wear and reasonably priced. These chunky hand-shaped wood gems are just the right combination of edgy and homegrown, not to mention we love wearing anything that features the subtle and organic patterns wood grain naturally provides.
If there’s one thing that designer Dandi Maestre knows, it’s that you can’t tame nature, so why bother? The former graphic designer plunders Gaia’s backyard for treasures-in-the-rough and crafts them into oversized sartorial statements: shed antlers become an avant-garde necklace, reclaimed driftwood transforms into a chunky cuff, and dyed exotic nuts are carved into psychedelic rings.
Like the Ming Dynasty furniture that inspired them, these eyeglass frames by Taiwan’s Yii Collection echo the clean, elegant lines of carved rosewood designs from that era. And true to the Ming philosophy of order and minimalism, the lightweight specs are a perfect marriage of aesthetics, craftsmanship, and function. How else would you expect design geeks to frame their peepers?
[Via Designboom]
Font freaks and bike geeks can flash the emblems of their allegiance—while keeping their pants up—with Steel Toe Studios’ hand-forged belt buckles. Made from repurposed letterpress blocks and bicycle gears, the steel and pewter pieces transmit …
Love it, hate it, or wonder if it comes with wings for extra night-time protection, the iPad isn’t about to budge anytime soon. If you can get past the feminine hygiene jokes, however, you might as well keep your tablet PC’s fragile visage pristine by placing it securely—discreetly?—under wraps.
Linda Wong, the Taiwan-raised designer behind Canopy Verde, believes in the power of three: Heritage, family, and the environment. Her burgeoning collection of visually arresting bags is her personal trifecta made manifest. Besides featuring locally sourced organic cotton and bamboo fabrics, chrome-free leather, and low-impact dyes, Canope Verde also wields the power of the dollar to improve manufacturing conditions in China. “Working with my current factory, I’ve found that the best way to improve environmental practices is by showing them the market opportunity of eco-friendly products,” she says.
With allusions to oceanic aragonite structures, planetary space, crystal formations, spiderwebs, and the “concept of making the abstractly invisible visible,” according to designer Heather Goldberg, Shadowplay’s debut collection of eco-conscious jewelry is replete with magic and mysticism. No mystery lies in where the ingredients are sourced from, however. Handmade with organic, naturally dyed yarns; Swarovski crystals; and fair-trade black silver closures from the Karen Village Hill Tribe in Northern Thailand, Shadowplay’s elegant, one-of-a-kind necklaces feature artful tangles of yarn punctuated with a galaxy of crystals.
Designed for the battlefield, these vintage military deadstock fabrics now see a different kind of action: as stylish, functional bags for dudes that won’t have folks questioning your manhood. The outfit responsible for these rough-and-tumble getups? Farm Tactics, a Los Angeles-based label that rescues rare military textiles from the ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s and hews them into totes, satchels, backpacks, and hip bags by hand.
There are few sights more poignant than that of a lonesome glove. (Like condors and socks, they’re meant to mate for life, after all.) Die-hard romantics can take heart, however, because the good folks at Green Thing, a U.K.-based not-for-profit, has set up a matchmaking service for lovelorn mitts. Called “Glove Love,” this new initiative rescues singleton gloves, spiffs them up with soap and water, and pairs them with another widowed arm-warmer that’s looking for a forever partner.
Cycle chic gets a leg up with an urbane collection of bike accessories that are as eco-friendly as your carbon-eschewing two-wheeler. Featuring a ventilated helmet cloche, gloves, ankle booties, and a bag, the conceptual Rilfa line by Scully is a deft marriage of organic wool, vegan leather, and reflective trim, designed by an avid cyclist for avid cyclists.
We’re all for multifunctional, convertible pieces in our wardrobe, but H by Harris’ jacket/backpack hybrid—Jackpack? Backet?—totters between inspired and inane. The unisex H=Jacket, a quilted number with an attached rucksack, solves the problem of coordinating your outfit in one fell swoop. Then again, the fact that you have to shrug off the entire jacket just to …
Blow-up dolls aren’t the only faux folk getting hacked to bits, both literally and metaphorically. Artist Margaux Lange mines pre-owned Barbie dolls for body parts that she turns into sardonic—and more than a little creepy—statement jewelry. From brooches made from multiple, multiethnic Barbie limbs (a celebration of diversity?) to heart-shaped necklaces showcasing some of Barbie’s naughtier portions, upcycled jewelry doesn’t get any more fun than this.
Have you ever had a sweater you loved, but the fit just wasn’t right and the style was all wrong? A new eco-service by graphic designer Haik Avanian will transform your old sweater into something new. (Avanian’s mom does the actual reknitting grunt work.) Each month, Reknit will choose a different upcycled eco-knitting project, whether it’s socks, cut-off gloves, a beanie, or even an iPod case. For January, it’s scarves.
Anyone who’s been overcome by the rosy splendor of a setting sun or the serene majesty of mist-capped mountains can agree: Ma Earth is one helluva stylist. So who better than the prima designer herself to shows us how to step out in high style with cues from her own repertoire? From moss-topped knuckle rings to couture heels layered in cowberry leaves, here are seven eco-accessories that put the “green” in green fashion.
Weavers take pains to hide the behind-the-scenes snarl of loops, knots, and loose ends that make the magic happen. So it may come as a surprise that the Sololá purse by Grain chooses to celebrate the oft-messy, wabi-sabi route we traverse before the big picture comes into focus. Crafted by Guatemalan artisans from vintage huipiles, or traditional women’s blouses woven on the backstrap loom, each one-of-a-kind purse is turned inside out to show its artful dishevelment—so it’s all business inside, party out front.
You wear your heart on your sleeve, and you just happen to love your Mac, so why not express yourself with these blingtastic rings and necklaces made from upcycled laptop computer keys? Crafted by metalsmith Lauren Anabela Beaudoin, founder of Creative Dexterity, this line of upcycled jewelry is sure to win the heart of any self-professed Mac addict.
