recycled looks

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RECYCLED LOOKS
Four Asia-based brands that turn recycled rice bags, candy
wrappers and more into fabulous fashion. By HELEN DALLEY
Trashy Chic
From left: EcoCouture uses old
ad banners; an
elegant clutch
by Chako Tokyo.
GRIFTED
Located in one of Beijing’s funkiest neighborhoods, this
2-year-old shop stocks off-beat, in-house designed items
such as cloth dolls of famous political leaders (Mao,
Castro, Obama) and quintessential figures of Chinese life
(a merry old man with a bottle of beer and his undershirt
rolled up over his generous belly), and cheeky T-shirts.
For all its irreverence, the owner, a New York City native
who goes by the moniker PP, takes socially responsible
design seriously. Witness her one-of-a-kind bracelets
and necklaces fashioned out of brightly colored candy
wrappers and baskets made from wine crates salvaged
from weddings and funerals. “Many of our items are
handmade by local residents to allow a sense of belonging
between us and the local community,” PP explains. More
plans are afoot to broaden the brand’s green credentials,
including using recycled stock for its postcards and
wrapping paper. 28 Nanluoguxiang, Dongcheng District; 8610/6402-0409; grifted.com.cn.
ECO COUTURE
Javier Serrano, a Madrid-born industrial designer, gives
new life to a ubiquitous feature of Hong Kong life:
billboards and advertising banners. Made out of PVC
sheets, much of Hong Kong’s advertising winds up in
landfills, and recycling vinyl is a highly polluting and
expensive process. Serrano uses the discarded ads as
they are to create hipster messenger and laptop bags,
totes and wallets. Another green bonus—10 percent
of the brand’s profits go towards WWF Hong Kong’s
environmental education programs at local schools and
kindergartens. HKDTC Design Gallery, Level One, Hong Kong
Convention and Exhibition Centre, 1 Harbour Rd., Wan Chai;
852/2584-4146; ecocouture.hk.
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CHAKO TOKYO
F RO M TO P : CO U RT ESY O F ECO CO U T U R E ; CO U RT ESY O F C H A KO TO KYO
Reduce and Reuse
Clockwise from above:
Clutches by Chako Tokyo;
inside Grifted; a tote
by Global Trash Chic;
a puppet by Grifted.
The owner of Bangkok’s kitsch hotel Reflections,
Anusorn Ngernyuang has long been interested in
environmental issues; one of the guest rooms at
Reflections warns guests about global warming, and
recycled art pieces are scattered throughout the
property. Going a step further, Anusorn launched
this label four years ago, which takes sturdy rice
bags and juice cartons salvaged from local
landfills and turns them into cheerful totes,
suitcases, purses, aprons, jewelry boxes, photo
frames and even teddy bears. Anusorn says
the company now recycles around 2,000 bags
a month. Meanwhile, many of his employees
are from poor rural villages, and once they’ve
received training in Bangkok, they’re allowed
to work at home, where they pass on their skills.
“It’s very important for me that the staff really
enjoy the work, and it’s much better for them
to be at home than stuck in a small room in
Bangkok,” he says. 24/2-18 Pradipat Rd.;
66-2/270-3344; global-trashchic.com.
C LO C KW I S E F RO M R I G H T: CO U RT ESY O F G LO BA L T RAS H C H I C ;
CO U RT ESY O F G R I F T E D ; CO U RT ESY O F C H A KO TO KYO ; CO U RT ESY O F G R I F T E D
GLOBAL TRASH CHIC
The polar opposite of fast fashion, traditional kimonos
and obis are meant to last a lifetime. “A lot of man
hours go into creating these garments—many are handembroidered or hand-painted,” says Kazumi Nakanishi,
a Japanese expatriate living in Hong Kong. “However,
most of them sit in people’s armoires for years without
seeing daylight.” A lover of traditional textiles, Nakanishi
wanted to give these gorgeous items a 21st-century spin,
and one day, she asked her mother, a skilled seamstress,
to make a handbag out of a vintage obi. A business was
born, and Nakanishi now designs a line of glamorous
clutches fashioned out of old kimonos and obis. Coming
soon is a made-to-order service available online. Sabina
Swims: 1st floor, 99F Wellington St., Central; 852/2115-9975
and Indigo: 32A Staunton St., Central; 852/2147-3000. Also
visit chakotokyo.com. ✚