If Punxsutawney Phil’s weather prognostications are bumming you out, perk those spirits up by ogling Kitty Cooper’s glam array of heels in cheerful, retro prints. Made of vintage fabrics from the ’20s to ’70s by a family business in East London, these ruffly wedges and luscious peep-toes are enough to make any pin-up girl go gaga. Is it spring yet?
One of the secrets to making upcycled accessories really shine is to infuse them with special little quirks that make people smile. Designer Jen McGlashan does just that with McFlashpants, a line of jewelry made from vintage cutlery. From the fork-a-riffic Not So Stabby choker to necklaces topped with wee sprouts, you won’t find anything like McFlashpants at your local big-box shop. Just keep an eye on your place settings if you ever invite McGlashan over for dinner…
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.
We’ve seen upcycled T-shirts and jeans aplenty, but nothing like Stacy J. Lee’s artful reinterpretation of that consummate American ensemble. The New York-based designer’s latest collection, “Re(-)creation,” comprises one-of-a-kind hand-knit accessories, sweaters and dresses made entirely of discarded, damaged, or sample garments. But the eye-popping, versatile pieces, which literally transform in some cases, are far from ordinary.
It was love at first sight for us when we laid our eyes on designer and friend Tara St. James’ “fasten-ating” accessories upcycled from broken zippers, and we’re thrilled to be able to give away two of our favorite pieces to one lucky Ecouterre reader! St. James has put together a special set that includes her elegant single zipper necklace and rocker-chic zipper …
If you’ve ever gazed upon a pretty floral umbrella and thought, “That would make an awesome frock,” then Catherine Charlot is the woman you’re after. Her Brooklyn-based company, Himane, transforms discarded clothing, vintage fabrics, buttons, trim, and even broken umbrellas into retro-inspired dresses that look nothing like their original materials. It’s almost like something out of Cinderella—well, minus the animal helpers and the magic pumpkin.
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.
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.
Elvis & Kresse’s bags and accessories are so hot they might as well be on fire. Luckily, the U.K.-based company had the foresight to craft them from decommissioned fire hoses, which it scrubs clean of 25 years worth of soot, grease, and built-up gunk before reincarnating them into luxe-looking totes, toiletry bags, belts, and wallets.
Timbuk2’s Hidden Messenger ain’t your suburban soccer mom’s reusable shopping sack. The latest addition to the bag maker’s Hidden series, the hands-free carryall cuts a familiar silhouette with one bonus: You can stuff it into its own palm-size zippered pouch, ready to be whipped out at a checkout line faster than anyone can quip “paper or plastic?”
Although this recycled metallic gown was designed with a different queen from a different era in mind, we imagine it’s what an alternate-reality Marie Antoinette would wear in steampunk Versailles, give or take a century. Created by design graduate Emma Whiteside for the 2009
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.
Whether it costs $5 or $95, there are few things as democratizing as the classic white T-shirt. Triple-Major Studio rallied together 31 designers from 13 countries to reexamine the trend-defying closet staple and unlock its creative potential. The result of Project White T-Shirt: More than 30 bold interpretations of Old Reliable, from an avant-garde shredded tunic to a trio of shirts that snap together to form a tent. Below, seven of our favorites, all of which will be auctioned off to benefit Designers Against AIDS.
At Ecouterre, we run into a lot of high-tech fashion: LED eyelashes, running pants that power your iPod, cassette-tape fedoras that play music. Don’t get us wrong, we love our gadgetry, but sometimes we crave simplicity. Gale Parker’s new boutique and clothing line, Clothespin, hits the spot with classic silhouettes, sprightly prints, and perfectly fussed-over details made from vintage fabrics from around the world.
If you have feline friends to feed, chances are, you amass quite a few empty cat-food tins at the end of the day (I have three cats, so when I say “quite a few,” I actually mean “a ginormous pile”). While recycling these cans the old-fashioned way is certainly laudable, why not use this free metal to your advantage by upcycling it into some shiny new jewelry for yourself? Heaven knows you deserve it for being such a devoted cat parent. Just follow our simple instructions to make this cute ring in the shape of a cat or any other design you think is the cat’s meow.
Don’t throw those old Chucks, Nikes, or Pumas away! Green Eyed Monster, the company known for making eco-fashion enviable, is offering you the chance to breathe new life into your sneaks instead of condemning them to the dump. Just send your tired footwear to them and New York City-bred comic artist …
Designers Alyce Santoro and Julio Cesar have topped their recycled mix-tape neckties—quite literally—by trying their hands at high-tech millinery. Their old-school fedoras, inspired by German artist Joseph Beuys’ trademark topper, are anything but fusty: They’re tightly woven from recorded cassette tape that becomes audible when you run a tape head across the fabric surface.
Have last year’s Christmas lights been sapped dry of their holiday cheer? Don’t send them on their merry way to the landfill just yet. The perfect size for hanging from your ears or neck, these tiny lights can still shine with the addition of jewelry findings and some creative flair. Here, we show you how you can create your own holiday-themed accessories—for next to nothing—simply by seeing damaged goods in a whole new light.
