Upcycled leather is sexy and eco-conscious, especially when it matches your jacket/boots.
Many products are recycled. Like paper, plastic, concrete and wood; even the Olympic swimsuits worn by the ab-tastic U.S. swim team have been made into dresses. Industry produces leftovers. With fabrics, for example, think about all the scraps that end up in the trash after a pattern’s been cut out. The leather trade is no different.
Looptworks sells cool computer accessories (clothes, too) made from high-quality, hard-wearing but good-looking waste material – neoprene laptop sleeves from offcuts of wetsuit material, as well as seriously buff iPad cases like the Luhu (above) and Shaxi (below). Oprah and Al Gore are both fans of the young Portland company, which aims to eliminate “pre-consumer excess.”
The Shaxi iPad case is made from soft burnished leather, a magnetic closure and folds back to double as a stand. It might match your favorite pair of boots, or cowgirl hat. And, even though it’s a hand-numbered limited-edition piece, will make less of a dent in your wallet than most footwear, at $80.