There's no doubting the durability of denim. That's why one Redditor is giving ill-fitting and out-of-style jeans a second life by repurposing them into backpacks and bags.
The post, which originally appeared in the r/upcycling subreddit, showed off some truly impressive sewing skills. The Redditor uses old jeans to make backpacks, handbags, and even belt bags. The style utilizes the already existing style of the jeans, showcasing zippers and labels, and even creatively making sure the pockets are still usable.
"My latest conversion of jeans into … 3 backpacks," the post reads. "Comfortable denim backpacks, completely redesigned jeans. Their second new life!"
In fact, the Redditor owns an online storefront dedicated to selling their upcycled denim creations, Harmony and Bags.
"Jeans are a material that only gets better over time. It is very strong, wearable and does not go out of fashion," the shop bio says. "We love and protect nature by using and recycling jeans and sewing beautiful new bags out of them."
Upcycling old clothing is a great way to reduce textile waste. Each year, 100 billion garments are produced by the fashion industry. That's a lot of new clothing. On top of that, about 85% of textile waste in the U.S. ends up in landfills or incinerated, releasing carbon into the atmosphere.
In a comment, the OP explained that the jeans they use for these projects are usually unwanted.
"I take different jeans, mostly just unfashionable or do not fit in size," they wrote. "The material is strong and of high quality."
Upcycling, as it's commonly called, is a great way to give old clothing new life. And turning jeans into bags is a perfect example.
"These are exceptional," one person commented.
"Wow!" another person wrote. "This is awesome, you should be so proud of yourself!"
"This is so impressive and I want one now," a third user said.
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