California-based company Couch makes guitar straps, camera straps, belts, bags, wallets and other gear from re-purposed vintage car upholstery. The products are all eminently stylish and don't look like they're used from upcycled materials; this speaks to the fact that the use of upcycled materials doesn't necessarily require you to compromise on style or functionality.
Couch's founder Dan Perkins started the company because he was unable to find a distinctive guitar strap that spoke to his sense of design. With California home to many auto-related businesses, Perkins figured that if he could get his hands on seat coverings and trunk linings, he could re-purpose them into guitar straps.
Despite the style quotient and high quality of Couch's guitar straps, they are very affordable, costing between $20 and $45. The company only uses properly stored original car upholstery and faithfully reproduced materials, and doesn't use material pulled out of wrecks.
Why This Trend Is Growing
- Upcycled Fashion Accessories
- The use of upcycled materials in fashionable accessories is a growing trend with potential for more innovation.
- Sustainable Material Innovation
- Innovating new ways to reuse materials, such as car upholstery, could lead to further sustainable material innovations in various industries.
- Affordable Sustainable Fashion
- The affordability of Couch's eco-friendly products highlights a trend towards more affordable sustainable fashion options.
Industries Being Reshaped
- Fashion
- The fashion industry can utilize upcycled materials like car upholstery to create eco-friendly and fashionable accessories.
- Automotive
- Couch's use of vintage car upholstery for their products opens up opportunities for the automotive industry to repurpose excess materials.
- Environmental Sustainability
- Using upcycled materials like car upholstery contributes to environmental sustainability efforts across multiple industries.
