Thursday, January 31, 2008

Graphic Recycling


While watching a documentary about the typeface Helvetica (I know, what a geek), I was introduced -- but not formally -- to a company called Freitag that creates messenger bags, tote bags (and certain other items) with recycled tarpaulins used to cover open-sided trucks (far more common in Europe than here). The tarps are washed in industrial machines, then the pieces of the bag are cut, with an eye toward using the color and graphic elements on the tarp to create a good-looking bag -- with a one of a kind design.

Go check them out. The web site needs some work, but there's an interesting design your own bag feature that allows you to place the pattern templates over images of the different truck tarpaulins they currently have in stock.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

This is a big trend over here. There are a number of young "createurs" who are making bags and purses and such out of all kinds of recycled materials. Environmentally correct stuff is really "la mode". :))