For all of you pedal heads out there– Alchemy Goods in Seattle has been ‘turning useless into useful’ with their new bag lineup. Made from used tire inner tubes, seat belts, and other various recycled materials, Alchemy’s Messenger Bag and Haversack surprised me with the level of style they’ve attained given the materials they’re made of. On the upper right hand corner of the ‘AG’ logo, you’ll find a small number with big significance: this number denotes the percent, by weight, of the recycled materials used to make your individual bag. I also got a kick out of some of the accessories Alchemy makes, including Schrader tire valve zipper pulls and the ‘Bottle ReOpener,’ which is made with used seat belt clasps. The term Alchemy refers to the medieval science of turning lead into gold; in a broader sense, it signifies turning something of lesser value into something of greater value. Alchemy Goods finds its value in environmental sustainability, and I like that.

Via The Goat

Tags: Bags (50), Bikes (13), Design (1554), Eco (171), Fashion (611)

chris Thursday, 01.11.07 @ 3:39 pm

not exactly new…
ever heard of these guys? http://www.freitag.ch/
they’ve been around for some 12 years


Paul C. Friday, 01.12.07 @ 1:28 am

I have an Alchemy Goods haversack. Very well made, and the feel and texture of the used inner tubes is surprisingly nice.


Connie Friday, 01.12.07 @ 3:16 am

Yo Chris - yeah of course the freitag have been around, but thats another bag and material. But I assume you havent seen any of them live so its hard to know the difference for you…


Neil Sunday, 01.14.07 @ 7:15 am

Connie
I have to say I agree with chris. Surely the design ethic and philosophy for these bags have been directly copied from Freitag (even one of the materials is the same - seatbelt for shoulder strap) and as such they (in my eyes) lose all kudos that they might once have been aiming for at the time of product launch. I don’t agree with the fact that different material = different product, although I haven’t seen them in the flesh, so to speak, my argument lacks a little i guess ……


Sustainable is Good Wednesday, 03.28.07 @ 2:26 pm

I just interviewed the founder of Alchemy Goods Eli Reich for an article on my blog Sustainable is Good check it out.


SHIGEG Thursday, 03.29.07 @ 9:15 am

I just interviewed the founder of Alchemy Goods Eli Reich for an article on my blog Sustainable is Good check it out.


Boris Friday, 03.30.07 @ 9:15 pm

to haters chris and neil: I for one wish there were MORE companies that made stuff from recycled materials…

seriously, so what if Freitag “came first”? Nothing in this world pops out of thin air, un-inspired by predecessors, standing on the shoulders of peers, working on a forefather’s work. It’s called progress, evolution, adaptation. Culture. Man does not create: we simply reuse, recast, remix.

Personally, I don’t find Freitag’s bags appealing, but that’s of no consequence really. (and for anyone who thinks they have street cred: they are sold by the millions at Tokyu Hands in Japan: a gigantic chain of “everything” stores.)




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