As if you need another reason to upcycle…

Fast Company recently released this slide show to help those not in the know, and remind those of us IN the know just how bad it really is out there.

Portrait of plastic bottle consumption

In my eyes, this is terrifying; the photos are just half of it, the facts take on a whole new meaning.  For instance, did you know that 2 million plastic beverage bottles are used in the U.S. every 5 minutes. A good friend of mine and like-minded, green focused industrial designer, Dan Levin was the first person to ever show me the photo above, and that was over 2 years ago. I wish that I could say that there are more designers trying to tackle this epidemic, but it seems as though only a few have emerged since then.

If you’re having trouble getting inspired, this slide show should definitely get those gears going.

FACT: 60,000: the number of plastic bags used in the U.S. every 5 seconds

You might want to view this sitting down.

What lights up, is upcycled, and ironically might be worse than listening to a broken record?

We’re a bunch of nice folks here at Sexy Upcycling. We are all designers, critics, friends, friend makers and friend keepers, but sometimes when we see something that is screaming out opposite of Sexy Upcycling, it’s best to be straight forward. Sometimes, the best type of friends are the kind that just tell you to your face that some kind of change needs to happen in order for something to work or happen.

Unfortunately we are not yet friends with the designer of this concoction… yet.

While this cassette tape lamp has many good qualities, I still see the trash factor, what could be done to upgrade this product?

“Cassette’s Not Dead” was submitted to us to review by a reader who could not justify the price of this upcycled light. We understand that it’s supposed to be a tribute to the cassette tape, but at a whopping ¢70.00, this lamp is an upcycling disaster better left in the grave, or given to these cool folks who make hats and ties out of the tape itself.

Lamps are always hit or miss with me, and as a design critic, I can tell you that I’ve seen just about EVERYTHING made into a lamp. The same goes for clocks; drill a hole, insert clock kit and all of a sudden you’re a clock designer, right? Wrong. There has to be some sort of added integrity to something if you are making it into a lamp or clock, what I call the “oooOOOOhhh factor”; for instance, this could happen if you took something simple like a scratched CD, put a clock kit in it and then say you coated the back with solar energy absorbing paint that then powered the clock. The “oooOOOOhhh factor” is the solar power, without it, any one could have made it, the “oooOOOOhhh factor” promotes the person’s critical thinking, a quality essential to being a designer.

So Sexy Upcyclers, am I wrong? Would you buy this cassette light for ¢70?

Construction goes chic with this Ornj Shoulder Bag!

Sometimes when I see something so brilliantly eco friendly and stylish I actually get up in my chair and do a little design jig as I call I know it’s strange, but in a world of designless eco products and ecofriendlynessless product design, when you see something that just defies the monotony, you just can’t help it! This Ornj Shoulder Bag had me out of my seat at first glance!

The Ornj Tote Sit features a corrugated bottom and bamboo handle

Ornj Shoulder Bag by David Shock Designs

This upcycled construction fencing shoulder bag definitely gets out Sexy Upcycling Stamp of Approval! Available from DavidShockDesigns on etsy!

Drinking and Hanging, upcycling style

Yes $8 is alot of money to spend on one hangar, but what if it came with the lifted weight of knowing that you were not only helping Mama Nature our by buying it, but supporting green ideas, green thinking and ultimately green living?

the Rethink Hangar by designer Xuan Yu, credit: core77

The Rethink Hangar has that potential and it definitely gets the Sexy Upcycling stamp of approval!

The simplicity of this hangar really had me at hello, the idea that the consumer contributes to the function of this almost “unfinished” product had me at hello, I honestly just wish it was a bit more affordable, or maybe say, came in a package deal, 4 for $20, I’d buy it then. Core 77 suggests hotels pick up on these to eliminate hotel hangar theft. Good idea Core!

…and the Golden Globe goes to Upcycling!

Colin and Livia at the Golden Globes, credit: Vogue

Livia Firth, wife of Colin Firth, accompanied her husband in what some would call a red carpet shocker, an upcycled wedding dress that she added a black belt to for some contrast. She revealed that it was part of an eco-challenge and noted that the people at the Golden Globes “don’t seem to get ethical fashion“.

Well, we know that Livia gets fashion, especially the ethical kind! Besides being the wife of Colin Firth, Livia is also the owner of a green boutique in Chiswick UK called Eco Age which sells a great selection of green gifts as well as the book Recycled Home, which I have been on the look out for

It seems that Livia’s dress was definitely a hit at the GG’s. I really hope that this sets the tone for next years gown selection; wouldn’t it just be wonderful to see an all upcycled/recycled dress code for the Golden Globes…

What do you guys think? Do you think all the attention Livia is receiving will prompt others to wear upcycled or second hand gowns on the red carpet events?

1DesignPerDay.com puts the spotlight on a sexy upcycler

Upcycled Umbrella Dog Rain Coat made from a salvaged broken umbrella!

Philadelphia based green product designer, Taryn Zychal, has become a household name in the upcycling business this year for her work exclusively with broken umbrellas. Only having started her company, Recycling Zychal, in April of 2009, Zychal has already completely redefined the way people look at broken umbrellas in a number of ways including launching a successful national broken umbrella collection initiative entitled Flora Fauna Function, making special Upcycled Umbrella Dog Coats for the queen of craft herself Martha Stewart and her French Bulldogs, spreading the word about her business on the internet through her Etsy Store and Blog, being voted in as a finalist for the prestigious Cooper Hewitt National Design Awards and receiving tremendous local and national press for her efforts to get broken umbrellas off the streets and into her hands; all of which has resulted in the success of her softgoods company far beyond what she expected when she started.

“The response has been overwhelming and amazing, people have sent me broken umbrellas to recycle from all over the world. I started off with about 20 broken umbrellas and a dream, now I have over 500 umbrellas and a real business!” said Zychal in a recent interview. “My goal for 2010 is to get more people to know that if their umbrella breaks and they want to recycle or upcycle it, Recycling Zychal is here to do so, it is our sole purpose for being in business”, she commented.

With her ever-growing enthusiasm for green product design and marketing, Zychal is now asking for your vote to help her win 1designperday.com’s Sunday Young Designer Competition. The more stars and tweets she receives, the better her chances are of winning, and on top of that you are helping to spread the word about her broken umbrella recycling so that more people keep their broken umbrellas off the street and into the hands of someone who can make them into something new.

If you want to vote for Taryn’s broken umbrella recycling for 1designperday.com’s Sunday Young Designer Competition, please visit http://www.1designperday.com/2009/12/27/sundayyoungdesigner-3rd-runner-taryn-zychal/.

And if you would like to donate your broken umbrella to Recycling Zychal, please contact her by sending an email to info@recyclingzychal.com or by calling the Recycling Zychal Headquarters at 1-888-472-2912

Happy New Year!

Plastic bags: refuse them or fuse them, just make them look nice!

Treehugger just posted a slide show of about a dozen cool objects upcycled from plastic bags and it really got me thinking alot about upcycling and marketing and the absolute disconnect between the two.

I learned how to properly fuse bags when I was working at TerraCycle as a designer and it requires nothing more than just a bit of teflon, an iron, a flat surface and patience, but there always seems to be something factored out that most of us in the upcycling business just don’t seem to care about, and that, my friends, is STYLE. Designers wear many hats in the green field, but I feel like the way something looks, fashionably, is often overlooked. Why is this?

Why do the majority of upcycled goods that we see on the market still resemble the trash that they once were?

As the designer behind the Upcycled Umbrella Product Company, Recycling Zychal, I credit alot of my success in this industry to the fact that my work might be made from trash, but you wouldn’t know that unless I specifically mentioned it prior to your initial viewing. Broken umbrellas might be a better resource to work with since it’s generally not filled with branding and obnoxious barcodes, but trust me, it still has it’s kinks. Nonetheless, the fact that my products are made from broken umbrellas is always a secondary thought. ‘Form follows function’ comes first, but lets face it, no one’s going to buy something doesn’t look good and that’s important!

Consumers, whether they are Earth-loving vegans or Meat-loving plastic-bag-thrower-awayers react upon the way something looks, the problem isn’t getting these already “green” consumers to buy the product, its getting the people who wouldn’t normally buy the green product to buy it (the green people already have it, or have figured out how to make it). The “green” part of it is only going to take the product so far, and even if someone does want to buy it, it will have to be marked down for them to consider it valuable which makes just about 0% sense in the head of a designer who understands the complexity of having to almost reverse engineer the upcycled material, deal with its preexisting shape and size and figure out how to make their object work. I talk to fellow designers about this all of the time. In an industry bloated with people fighting to get in the front door, where are the style makers and why aren’t they upcycling!?

Here are a few photos I picked out from the slideshow to illustrate what Sexy Plastic Bag Upcycling and Better Off Not Upcycled looks like to me, and please send me any more examples, I’ll be sure to post them!

Camila Labra's Dacca Boots made from upcycled bags, so awesome!

Camila Labra = my upcycling hero

I bet these boots are water resistant too.. <3

Camila Labra is a Chilean Industrial Designer who fashioned these boots out of upcycled plastic bags. Not only are these probably the Sexiest Upcycled shoes I have EVER seen, but they are only $45. I’m not sure how you order a pair, but I am pretty sure I want one in every color!

Ryan Frank's Inkuku Chair has plastic bags written all over it, comfy? I bet!

While this Inkuku Chair by Ryan Frank uses the plastic bags as more of a decoration than a functional part of the object, I can still see the purpose and the sexiness. Plastic bags are sometimes soft and squishy and using them around, what I can only assume is, a chrome frame is much better than sitting on plain old chrome! I love the modulation of the bags in this chair that make it look so modern. Ryan Frank, you totally get my stamp of Sexy Upcycling Approval!

Kate Wards crocheted plastic bag bags... maybe I just don't like the look of crocheted

So here are Kate Ward’s plastic bag bags. I must say, the colors are awesome, (where can I get ahold of some brightly colored plastic bags like this?!) but I don’t know, something about this screams beach party… and maybe that’s just exactly what they are made for, but for my everyday purse purposes..I don’t think so. I will admit, I hate the look of crochet, it reminds me of Easter baskets, but I have to give credit where credit is due to Kate because if she is really saving these plastic bags from a life in the landfill then she is truly an upcycling heroine!

Cathy Kasdan's thesis project at Kent State University Textile Department..makes me itchy looking at it

Cathy Kasdan’s thesis project at Kent State University Textile Department is quite the upcycled outfit, but Sexy Upcycling, I don’t think so. I love the effort involved with this, but would I wear it? No. Would anyone wear this? I have a feeling that this might not have ever been intended to wear and I also have a feeling that this would make a “wish-wish” sound while walking with it. I’m noteven sure if I like the 50’s style going on here. I do like that all of the bags used to make this were either donated or from actual grocery trips. Far too often I see things that are basically greenwashed saying that they are made from recycled such and such, when you can blatantly tell by the perfection of the modulation that there was an outside source providing the material.

This may be my last post for the year as I am going on vacation for a week after Christmas…and by going on vacation, I mean painting my apartment. I hope everyone has a safe, healthy, sexy new year and I can’t wait to report on more Sexy Upcycling in 2010!

A book that has seen better days… as a wreath!

This wreath is eco-friendly and requires no pine needle clean up

When I saw this wreath, the first thing I thought was “How elegant!” and to tell you the honest truth, I don’t think I’ve ever used the word elegant prior to it to describe something before. Then, when I found out that it cost (literally) less than $5 to make and I could make it while sitting in front of the television, I was sold… oh yeah, and then I found out that it is UPCYCLED from an old book, I nearly dropped everything I was doing to make sure that I put it in my Sexy Upcycling folder.

This wreath is made from an old book, now who doesn’t have one of those that they could stand to put to good use?!

The tutorial is super easy and needs no translation for non crafters, infact, everything you need to make is pictured here:

everything you need to make this wreath is right here, with Loving Charity obviously the variable

(and just fyi for the non crafters spooked out by that weird looking white doughnut shaped thing, it’s a foam wreath, which you can easily pick up at your local dollar store for, you guessed it, a dollar!)

And the best part about finding this project, which was done by Lindsay of Living With Lindsay is that she entered it into the Michael’s Handmade Holiday’s Contest where she could win a trip to see the Martha Stewart Show if she gets one of the best ratings and I can’t even IMAGINE a better project to win! As a fellow designer and someone who attended a taping of the Martha Stewart Show earlier this fall*, it was an absolute inspiration and honor to see the queen of all-things-craft in action and I want to help Lindsey get to see her too! Martha would LOVE this project, I know it, it screams Martha and it also screams Sexy Upcycling. What else can you really upcycle an old book into that is as stylish and as relevant as this? On top of all of that, it really beats having to clean up pine needles from the floor when the poor pine wreath starts to die and I hate that, it’s like the beginning of the end of the holidays, but this book wreath is stylish enough to be hung up all year around (I have different seasonal variations racing through my head as we speak) (…and I’m not even a wreath person!)

So let’s all help Lindsey get to Martha Stewart! All you have to do is go to her project and give it 5 stars! No signing up for a newsletter, no user name and password registration verification hob-snob bee- ess, just a click!

Good luck Lindsey, I’m rooting for your Sexy Upcycled Book Wreath and I can’t wait to make my very own!

*my Martha Stewart geek moment: When I went to see Martha, I was actually backstage with a colleague who invited me with her to the show and I saw Martha Stewart doing YOGA about an hour before the show started and I was in awe over her Viparita Karani for about 3 hours afterward… and heres a picture I took of one of the closets… <333

On my radar: Leigh Ann’s Object Project

I came across Object Project when I was googling the word “upcycled” hoping to find something horrific to blog about, instead I found Leigh Ann’s awesome website filled with colorful fabrics, upcycling and fun resourceful tutorials; I instantly fell in love. What I love about Object Project is that while Leigh Ann might be an expert sewer, her projects are easy, affordable and relevant, more design than crafty and totally screams Sexy Upcycling! Her Upcycled Bra Strap Headband looks like it walked right off of the run way, but it actually walked right out of the trash can! I love when you can’t tell!

Leigh Ann takes broken bra straps and transforms them into luxe upcycled headbands!

Bra straps are a bugger to begin with and then when they break, it’s usually too much of a hassle to try and fix it and you are one bra down; but Leigh Ann’s insightful idea to take a bra strap and turn it into a very trendy headband made so much sense to me, I NEEDED to share it with you.

Object Project's Tea Cup Pin Cushion uses a tea cup for the pattern, GENIUS!

To see how to make your very own Upcycled Bra Strap Headband, please visit Leigh Ann’s site and be sure to check out some of her other cool projects, such as the Tea Clutch, which uses a tea saucer to make the pattern for a really cute little clutch bag, or her Tea Cup Pin Cushion, which I think would make a great holiday gift for someone ( I sure wouldn’t mind one!)

Tree Trekker gives a new life to empty coffee sacks

Upcycled Burlap Coffee Cozies by Tree Trekker

I’m a sucker for very few things, but FELT is definitely one of them. It’s such an easy, clean material to work with and not to mention that can be made from bamboo fibers and even from recycled plastic bottles. So naturally, when these Upcycled Burlap Coffee Cozies by Tree Trekker came into my upcycling radar, I instantly fell in love with the bright, beautiful colors and simplistic but purposeful design.

With cold and flu season coming up, you definitely want to be able to quickly identify your coffee cup from everyone else’s, and if you’re like me and everyone at your job comes in with coffee from the same place, it’s always better to be able to identify which one is yours by a cozy and not by the color of the lipstick ring around the lid (ick..).

But the best part about these cozies is that they have a button that is not only decorative but serves as a place to wrap your tea string around, which makes them skyrocket to the top of the Sexy Upcycling charts because they are definitely more than just an upgrade from you run-of-the-mill cardboard “sleeves” that they give you at the coffee shop, both design AND function-wise.

These cozies are made from burlap sacks that are repurposed and upcycled into coffee cozies that the folks at Tree Trekker collect from their local coffee shops in North Hollywood. Ahh I can smell the fame brewing from here for them!

Upcycled Burlap Coffee Cozies by Tree Trekker

To order your very own Upcycled Burlap Coffee Cozies, please visit Tree Trekker’s Etsy Shop!