ANN FRYE

Laptop case or old lady’s knitting bag? Ann Frye’s deftly constructed stuff sack, woven from recycled denim on a Leclerc Nilus “Medico” loom, is a stealth operator that will keep everyone guessing. (The needles are decoys, natch.)

+ Ann Frye

POUCHBAGS

Talk about a split personality. This fully reversible tote features workhorse denim on one side and frou-frou florals on the other. Designed by Nicola Mesham of Pouchbags to function sans visible seams, the bag offers two holdalls for the price—and materials—of one.

+ Pouchbags

MIRANDA CHANCE

The aptly monikered Miranda Chance gives dunzo denim a do-over by reworking the material into high-end handbags, with embellishments gleaned from secondhand leather jackets.

+ Miranda Chance

MIRANDA CHANCE

Chance may be more alchemist than designer. Here, salvaged denim and leather make a shift from demure to rugged when wrestled into the shape of a utilitarian duffle.

+ Miranda Chance

BETTY MATHERS

Betty Mathers whipped up a sturdy laptop carryall from a pair of old jeans, padding it with plenty of room for stowing cords and peripherals. Bonus: The fly opens up to reveal a zippered pocket. Is that a mouse in your pants or are you just happy to see us?

+ Betty Mathers

ADRIAN JANKOWIAK

Disguised as a folded pair of pants, Cas de Nîmes by designer Adrian Jankowiak is a laptop sleeve on the down-low, complete with working pockets for tucking away your high-tech paraphernalia.

+ Adrian Jankowiak

+ Recycled Denim Challenge

DENIM COUTURE

Few articles of clothing are as egalitarian as the humble blue jean. It’s come a long way from its working-stiff roots, rising in status to become not only a luxe object of desire but a symbol of democracy, rebellion, and repose. Fashion loves an incongruity, and nothing is an incongruent as workwear reinterpreted as haute couture. Here, we present seven marquee names in fashion who’ve tangoed with a deconstructed jean or two, including Alexander McQueen, Martin Margiela, Gary Harvey, and Alexander Wang.

HEAR YE, HEAR YE

At the Yesterday’s News Green Catwalk Event and Workshop in New York City on Tuesday, four leading sustainable designers—Samantha Pleet, Bahar Shahpar, Lara Miller, and Restore Clothing’s Anthony Lilore—unveiled a quartet of looks made almost entirely of recycled newspaper. Part of an initiative by the cat-litter manufacturer to promote its new recyclable packaging, the Do-Gooder Design Challenge culminates in an auction of the newspaper garments on eBay, with the proceeds going to a charity of each designer’s choice: Kiva, Riverkeeper, The Land Connection, and Trees for the Future. In addition, Yesterday’s News is making a $6,000 donation to each charity. Meow.

+ Do-Gooder Challenge

+ Yesterday’s News

JEAN GENIES

Used, abused, shredded, and worn down to the threads, our favorite jeans have stuck around longer than most significant others. Is it any wonder, then, that we’re loathe give our bootcuts the boot even when they’re one pant leg away from Do Not Resuscitate? Take heart, your dungarees are in a better place. From cozy wall insulation to custom-made ottomans, denim’s afterlife is just as true blue.

GIVE PEACE A CHANCE

You know what gets us really fired up? Peaceful protests, civil debates, acting not reacting—anything that doesn’t involve fisticuffs or the barrel of a loaded gun. And we’re not the only peaceniks around here parts. We’ve rounded up seven ex-weapons that have found new lives as wearable symbols of nonviolence, from bomb scrap-metal bracelets to necklaces made from dismantled firearms.

Fine jewelry and luxury goods may not appear to have much in common with discarded electronic innards, but look deeper and you’ll find that circuit boards are riddled with precious metals such as silver, gold, and copper. Ranging from elegant dangling earrings to sperm-count-shorting skivvies, these seven upcycled circuit-board designs coax the castoffs’ hidden mettle (or is that hidden metal?) back to life. In fact, many of the pieces were part of a group show (“Jewelry_cycle”) in 2008 that sought to raise awareness about the mining industry, e-waste, and overconsumption. And if upcycled metal undies don’t grab people’s attention, we don’t know what will.

SLAM DUNK

When it comes to dedication, no one has anything on junk-metal artist Gabriel Dishaw, who cobbles together metal scraps, bits of wire, and old Intel chips to create detailed replicas of his favorite shoes. The kicker? Each hardwired sneaker is a perfect size 9.5.

+ Junk Dunks

+ Gabriel Dishaw

BROOCHING THE SUBJECT

Electronic hardware takes a surprisingly pretty turn with David Casella’s floral-esque brooch of recycled circuit boards, anodized aluminum, and brass.

+ Circuit Board Brooch

+ David Casella

PINNED DOWN

Hand-cut into 1-inch circles, then attached to deadstock sterling-plated hairpins, these wayward circuit boards find a new purpose in curbing recalcitrant locks and flyaways.

+ Go Digital Circuit Board Hair Pins

+ Sparkover

If you’re raring to rebuild your youthful street cred, but you’re not exactly crusin’ for a bruisin’, take a gander at these statement accessories made from recycled skateboards. Retired from their skate-park hijinks and artfully transformed into bags, bangles, earrings, cuff links, and belt buckles, these seven upcycled wearables come complete with every scratch and scuff from their storied pasts—so you can deck yourself before you wreck yourself.

ON BOARD

Beck Hickey, founder of Beck(y), likens her one-of-a-kind bags and accessories to wearable art, not unlike the skateboards they’re made from. It’s the juxtaposition of weathered, beat-up boards with luxurious textiles like silk that excites the designer, who hand-crafts her wares in her New York City workshop. Her clutch, which maintains much of the integrity of the original deck, is lined with satin and bears a nickel clasp.

+ Clutch $100

+ Beck(y)

HEEL FLIP

For Kris Lovett, a University of the Arts in Philadelphia graduate and an avid skater, the graceful geometry of a skateboard lined up perfectly with the curve of a woman’s shoe. His RePly collection of pumps, platforms, and clogs, which he created for his senior thesis, showcase the boards’ original multicolored hues, with sizzling bands of colors that imbue the feminine silhouettes with youthful vim.

+ RePly

+ Kris Lovett

FLYING HIGH

Seven Ply’s mission: To turn thrash’n into fashion. Founded by the wife of a skateboarder, Seven Ply recycles old and damaged decks into chic pieces that belie their rough-and-tumble origin. The Free Bird is a dainty disc that has been cut, sanded, and resealed, then paired with a sweet bird charm.

+ Free Bird Necklace $22

+ Seven Ply