Thailand-based fashion house Pipatchara is cleaning up the handbag and fashion industry by making some of its products out of an unlikely material: plastic.
As Travel + Leisure India and South Asia reported, the company was founded by two sisters in 2018 when they recognized the need for more sustainable practices, especially regarding plastic consumption. They decided to incorporate recycled plastic water bottle lids into their handmade purse line, turning their passion for fashion into an eco-friendly endeavor.
The travel magazine explained that the handbags are also made from plant-based materials, helping to reduce animal cruelty in the fashion industry and benefit the planet. Plus, the bags support Thailand's economy by providing jobs to rural communities.
"We think that community and sustainability are the essence of Pipatchara. It relates to life and living. Sustainability is like a layer that gets blended in any aspect of life, and we would like to make people more aware of it," Pipatchara told the magazine.
"[By doing so], we think that people would easily connect with arts and crafts ... We wanted to use sustainability in arts and crafts as a bridge for people to start adopting sustainability in their lives," it added.
Seeing as the world produces over 440 million tons of plastic waste each year, according to an estimate by the U.N. Environment Programme, it's crucial to cut down on this waste where we can or at least upcycle the materials into other products. Thankfully, plenty of companies, including Pipatchara, are leading the charge and turning trash into treasure.
As a testament to the company's sustainability goals, the sisters use only organically derived dyes in their handbags, per Travel + Leisure.
Synthetic dyes have been shown to harm ecosystems and cause health problems in humans, per a paper published in Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, so using organic dyes is the clear winner from an environmental standpoint.
While Pipatchara has created a loyal fanbase since its launch, the sisters hope upcycling plastics will start to become mainstream in the fashion industry overall.
"We truly believe that when the fashion industry can offer more options that blend sustainability, it will be the next chapter," they told the travel magazine.
So far, they've traveled to major cities such as New York City, Paris, Tokyo, and London for pop-up showcases, the latter of which was presented at the London Fashion Week earlier this year.
They plan to continue traveling the globe to share their message of sustainability with the public and prove that plastic waste can make pretty snazzy-looking handbags — or almost anything else — with a little creativity.
"Everyone is welcome to join us by following our example, gradually embracing sustainability at their own pace, and supporting us as they appreciate our arts and crafts," Pipatchara told Travel + Leisure.
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