We’ve seen over the past few weeks how handbags created can raise money for a cause. But, what about handbags being created for a cause? In recent news, a profile on Maggie Bags, handbags made from recycled seatbelts, was done, as well as a prison program in Lebanon that has women making handbags for money. In the former, all handbags being sold are made from recycled materials that, ordinarily, would end up in landfills. Being too strong, the material would sit there and not break down. For the latter, the program, Sarah’s Future, gives women in a Lebanese prison an option to make money and to have employment even after being released.
Maggie Bags come from a Tennessee company, Tennessee Webbing, that has made recycled products from discarded seatbelts since 1991. More recently, their handbag production started as another option for using such seatbelts. The seatbelt fabric, or webbing, is woven tightly together, which makes for a durable handbag but, in a landfill, will simply sit. All Maggie Bags by Tenessee Webbing aren’t dyed, with the exception of pink colors, and all have a woven style made of several seatbelts. Aside from ordinary handbag and tote bag styles, hobo, laptop, diaper, and messenger bag options are available through the company.
While Maggie Bags take materials out of the environment, Sarah’s Future handbags give women in Lebanon more of a purpose in prison by allowing them to work. As a program that employs convicts, Sarah’s Future has women in prison designing and producing handbags that, in 2009, made it to runways in Paris. The brand, right now, is looking for more stores in the Middle East to carry their products, while the women who benefit from this program while in prison also continue to work designing and making handbags for Sarah’s Future once released.
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