Accessories

Soot-ii Hothersall – Up-cycled purses, bags, and clutches.

Soot-ii Hothersall – Up-cycled purses, bags, and clutches.

Upcycled bags

Soot-ii Hothersall – Up-cycled purses, bags, and clutches.

Soot-ii Hothersall Up-cycled purses, bags, and clutches, is a line of stylish, up-cycled/re-purposed bags designed and handmade in Sydney, Australia by stylist, Megan Quigley.

Each bag is made from either up-cycled or re-purposed materials and fabrics, (helping to reduce the effect of excessive waste and consumption on the planet, as well as, breathing new life into pre-used fabrics that were once something else.

After seeing Megan’s bags on Instagram I wanted to learn more about how she got inspired to create such a unique product line.

I recently reached out to her to find out about her process in creating these one of a kind pieces.

What Inspired you to start creating these bags?

It was a lot of different things.  I’ve always hated waste of fabrics,when I was working for a designed I would always take the scraps and make t-shirts and skirts for myself.  I think it was a gradual progression these pieces that I have aren’t big enough for clothing but are the perfect size for bags.

I made one for myself and showed some friends and their reaction to them made me think of taking it a step further.  It’s also the older I get, the more aware I become of the world around me and what we are leaving for the generations to come.

A lot of fashion these days are “fast fashion”, pieces that may last a short time and end up in the trash bin in a year’s time.  My aim is to produce pieces that are made from re-purposed fabrics that are well made, and that leave a smaller footprint on our planet for generations to come.

Where are your materials sourced from?

Various places: designer scraps, recycle shops, seconds factories, wherever I can find usable pieces to work with.

Are you doing this full-tie,or this a hobby?

It’s just a hobby at the moment, in between working two Monday – Friday jobs, working as a fashion stylist, and also being a mother.

How long does it take you to make each piece, are they all one of a kind?

It depends on what type of bag I am making, it can take anywhere between 30 to 90 minutes.  All bags are one of a kind – I like the idea of owning something that no one else has, and I am sure I am not the only one.

Do you make all of the bags yourself?

Yes I do.  I do everything from designing the concept, pattern making, sewing and adding the final touches of the zipper pulls and any other extras.

I noticed that you are based in Australia, do people there respond well to recycled goods there as well as they do here in the US?

From what I am seeing on social media there seems to be a big movement towards eco-friendly, recycled/up-cycled products and sustainability, do you practice this in other areas of your life as well?

I’ve only been making my bags for about a month now and haven’t ventured into doing local markets, but I know that Sydney has a lot of eco-friendly markets covering most things from locally produced organic fruits and vegetables to second-hand clothing, to locally made arts and craft markets which are always brimming with people.

I have a friend who makes the most amazing men’s wear from re-purposed products (Urbandon) http://www.urbandon.com/,one of my favorite pieces of his was a jacket made out of a re-purposed army tent.

So yes, I think the eco-friendly movement is alive and kicking here in Australia.  I try to live as eco-friendly as possible at home.  I am big on recycling in all aspects of my life as well as using many natural/organic cleaning products at home as I can.  I figure change has to start within the home first and I try to teach my kids the value of looking after what we’ve been given on this earth.

To learn more about what Megen is creating, check out her various social media platforms:

Etsy, Instagram and Facebook pages at:

Etsy Store:  https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/SootiiHothersall

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SootiiHothersall

Instagram: Sootii_h