November 13, 2007
Fabulous Finds: "Soleful" Purpose Bags Too "Juicy" to Resist...
by Kristine R. Surla
It’s amazing what can be recycled into fashionable clothing and accessories. Old sweaters and vintage fabrics, curtains, soda tabs, gum and candy bar wrappers, even movie posters and rubber from tires can become hip “must have” eco fashion. But juice boxes and rice sacks? Unreal…
That is, until I actually saw Re-Bagz from Half the Sky Designs, some of the cutest and most colorful handbags I’d ever seen made out of recycled materials. Created from recycled fruit juice boxes (yes, like the ones you pack in your lunch) and nylon rice sacks, these bags come in a variety of flavors, including red, blue, multi-color, yellow, green and even silver (okay…not quite sure which juice box flavor the silver came from) and in several styles, sizes and shapes, even cosmetic bags and business card holders. The juice box designs will remind you of those chains you used to make from gum wrappers as a kid.
I personally like the Carry Anything Anywhere Bag, which is a large tote that is
perfect for an airplane carry-on, the beach or a shopping excursion. And the Mini Bags, which are great little wristlets for when you don’t need to carry more than a few essentials, are another of my faves. But let’s not neglect the nylon rice sack messenger bags and sports pouches because these are not your basic garden-variety rice sacks. How about designs featuring bluebirds and dragons and horses, oh my! The sports pouch is particularly cool because it has an adjustable strap with a clip so you can wear it over your shoulder, across your chest or fasten it around your waist like a fanny pack.
Re-Bagz are hand crafted in the Philippines by a group of women who are part of an NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) that practices Fair Trade Standards. 
That means that the workers (many of whom are the sole earners for their families) are paid fair livable wages and treated fairly and humanely – no sweatshop treatment there.
The line already has some celebrity fans, including Eva Longoria, Heidi Klum, Debra Messing, Jaime Pressly, Kate Walsh, America Ferrera, and, for all you sports fans out there, Serena Williams. To get your own bag made out of juice packs and rice sacks, check them out at www.halftheskydesigns.com.
