Posts Tagged ‘handbags’

English Retreads book club

Wednesday, August 11th, 2010

Heather and I  got turned on to a terrific book and now we are both reading it. A couple of weeks ago the Goop newsletter (Gweneth Paltrow’s tips, recipes and eco-friendly ideas ) arrived in my inbox with a book review that captured my attention.

Power Trip by Amanda Little is a terrific read. It chronicles her trip around the country exploring America’s “hunger for oil” in all its forms.

I keep finding surprises as I turn the pages. I considered my organic, no-car lifestyle to be petroleum free, but “even though we rarely think about it, energy is as much a part of our modern survival as air, food and water. It does more than power our iPhones and laptops—it grows our crops, fights our wars, makes our plastics and medicines, warms our homes, moves our products, airplanes and vehicles, and animates our cities.”

We at English Retreads are doing what we can to minimize the petroleum footprint. We reclaim petroleum-based rubber inner tubes and, using a carbon negative production process (offset by wind energy) turn what would be waste into stylish handbags and accessories that last a lifetime and come with a guarantee to ensure our products remain as useful as they are chic.

Check your local library, or if your reading pile teeters as high as mine does, you can probably wait for the paperback version that will be available mid-September. We hope you enjoy the read as much as we do.

What do you do better than anyone?

Wednesday, May 19th, 2010

A friend of ours posted this video on her Facebook page.  I watched it and couldn’t help but wonder—what do we do better than anyone else? You can’t help but watch Jessica and wonder: what is the thing that makes you want to pump your fist or want to sing into the bathroom mirror?

We here in the pit crew make recycled handbags better than anyone. They are cooler, more fun, more durable, more useful, better designed and generally more kick-ass than your average handbag. Plus, our bags have a better-than-carbon-neutral footprint, with wind energy offsetting more energy than it takes to make, market and ship them. Plus, each is one-of-a-kind and make the folks who carry them feel like a million bucks when they are stopped and asked about their bag.

So this afternoon we are shaking our butts a little and humming our own theme song. We can do anything well! Better than anyone! Yay!

English Retreads around the country

Wednesday, April 28th, 2010

Model T Classic bringin' the news

We want to share some of your stories this week. We’ve asked some of our customers to let us know how their English Retreads bags are making their lives a little better, a little easier and way more stylish. We thought we’d post two of our favorite submissions in the hopes that it might inspire you to send in your photos and stories.

Our bags are being used to deliver the news! Up in Livingston Montana the local paper is making the rounds in one of our Classic Totes. This looks like a job for a sturdy bag—and our unlined bags are just the ticket!

Who's got the most stylish diaper bag in town?

And Katie, who lives in Maine, has got to be the most stylish mom in town using our Large Beetle as a diaper bag. I guess that having a bag that’s super easy to clean and roomy enough to hold all the necessities makes it the perfect bag for the job.

Katie and Elea, thanks for sending in the photos.

We’d love to hear from you about the who, when and where of what your bag is up to. Send your submissions to info(at)englishretreads(dot)com.