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reMade USA is a design company that upcycles used materials to make one-of-a-kind objects. Their mission is to create beautiful, long-lasting, well-made products that positively impact the environment, their users and their makers. All products are hand-crafted in the USA. The first line is a range of bags made from used leather clothing and scrap. They are inspired by closed loop upcycling as introduced by William McDonough in Cradle-to-Cradle and committed to the principles of sustainable design outlined by The Designers Accord. Upcycling is the process of taking what is essentially waste and making something that is more desirable and of greater value.
reMade USA was born out of the concern with creating yet another product to add to the gazillions already on this planet. Designer Shannon South has a strong belief that if one is to be a product designer, there's an important responsibility in thinking about what materials might do to the environment and how the people manufacturing them are being affected. She realized that the only way she'd ever have a clean conscience and feel proud of what she was doing as a designer would be if she was using scrap or reusing materials and making them locally. This idea seemed absurd at the time, as she was sending CAD drawings to China and having her bags mass produced, but as she thought about it more seriously, she decided to at least give it a try. She went to Goodwill, found a leather jacket and let the details guide her design. She loved the result and quickly became obsessed with studying old jacket details and seeing them on bags.
Every reMade USA bag is a limited edition of one. She sources her materials in a variety of ways. Thrift stores and scraps from the upholstery industry are her main sources. She also accept donations of all kinds of leather. If you would like to supply your own jacket, she does take special orders and will make you a bag based on one of her current designs (at a discount of $20).
Given that the bags are made from used leather, there are likely to be small imperfections and signs of wear from its past life, but she believes this only adds to its beauty and the story. |
