As a lover of handbags, shoes, and the environment, I can appreciate designers who make an effort to reduce waste by recycling clothes.  Both pre-consumer textile waste (by-product materials from the textile, fiber and cotton industries) and post-consumer textile waste (garments or household articles that are typically disposed of into the trash and end up in municipal landfills).

Mandinka ecofashions men’s suit coats into attractive and useful, upcycled handbags. With popular, one-of-a-kind styles in the original line, they’re now branching out with OTS (On The Side), a little subsidiary, featuring a collection of smaller, nip-tucks.  Sleek works of art, perfect for tucking under one’s arm. For eco-minded bag hounds, everywhere.  Visit their Etsy cyber stores for more info and photos.

Pictured above, L to R:
Mandinka – Daytripper in paisley, ($82)
OTS – Uptown Bag, ($72)

Related:  previously on altCon
how to recycle clothes (5.8.08)

According to SMART (Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association), the average American throws away about 68 pounds of clothing and textiles per year, (more info @ Council for Textile Recycling).