The first installment of sustainable style gift recommendations is in the bag, literally. The creatively recycled materials in any of these gift-worthy bags will definitely warm the heart of your favorite earth-lovers.
UM FELT BAGS- $38-$114 We love these UM felt clutches, totes, and wallets from Branch Home. The 100% industrial felt accessories are handmade in Oakland, California, and are perfect for your style-savvy and environmentally conscious girl friend.
RECYCLED SAIL BAGS – $25-$150 The totes from Red Flag Designs are great for Mom or Dad, or for anyone who will be ringing in the New Year on a hot weather holiday. The recycled sailcloth bag, shown above, is perfect for carrying all the necessary beach accoutrements and, once home, makes a great reusable bag for the market.
+ $25-$150 from the Red Flag website
FREITAG MESSENGER BAGS- $150 and up The Swiss company Freitag produces extra-durable and highly-fashionable bags from truck tarps, car seat belts, and used airbags. Each is handcut and uniquely graphic. We love the messenger bags- a great gift for your brother or boyfriend.
+ $150 and up from the Freitag website
ENGLISH RETREADS BAG – $48 For your eco-friendly girl friend, the English Retreads Cruiser could be the perfect gift. Heather English has been designing the rubber bags and belts since 2001, giving new life to discarded truck and tractor inner tubes rescued from landfills.
PIECELILLY PATCHWORK PURSES- $75 and up Since 2004, Jennifer Farrington has been making these charming patchwork bags from scraps of recycled fabric and textiles, making them great one-of-a-kind gifts for your mom or sister.
+ Starting at $75 from the Piecelilly website
TRASHBAGS- $30 and up A great gift for your shopaholic friend, TrashBags are made from many different kinds of refuse, including plastic grocery sacks, newspapers, and juice containers.
+ $30 and up from the TrashBags website
VINTAGE AUTOMOTIVE TEXTILE BAGS- $95 and up Kim White stumbled upon a warehouse of deadstock automotive fabrics from the 70′s and 80′s, and has been transforming them into bags ever since. What’s more, each bag is individually tagged with the year and make of the fabric, so you’ll know if your bag came from a 1982 Mustang.











Nice bags! Check out the Swedish brand Pia Wallén in the same vein as the UM felt bags at http://www.piawallen.com/
Hi David,
I wrote about Pia here…
http://fiftyrx3.blogspot.com/2006/08/pia-walln.html
…but thanks for the tip.
Jill Danyelle
[...] The first installment of sustainable style gift recommendations is in the bag, literally. The creatively recycled materials in any of these gift-worthy bags will definitely warm the heart of your favorite earth-lovers. + $38-$114 from Branch Home via inhabitat [...]