Soldier of Style - ecoWEAR

We just love upcycled creations – new incarnations that come to us with a story, a narrative, and a history.  And it was history itself that inspired Jack & Marjorie to create a line of bags crafted from recycled military surplus materials. In 2004 the couple discovered an old box of family photos from the 1940's, and embarked on bringing to life a range of women's bags that reflected the look and feel of that era. Rich with nostalgia, and infused with chic modernity.

The bags are uniquely constructed from an array of materials inclusive of: military tents and cotton tent fabric, wool blankets, duffle bags, parachutes, rifle sling straps, webbing, ammunition pouches, suspenders, zippers, buttons, and parachute cord. All cultivated to create some of the coolest bags we’ve greenspotted yet.

Making love not war… we dig the fact that these materials may have been originally developed for combat but are now engaging in action on the shoulders and in the hands of fashionistas instead. Talk about multi-purposing materials.

It is not unusual for Jack & Marjorie to work with fabrics that are 30 to 40 years old (some of the materials show signs of their previous life and even include things like handwritten name tags). When sourcing fabrics they ensure to carefully select in effort to minimize impact on the environment. (All bag linings are organic cotton twill and the majority of the leather they use is either vegetable tanned or reclaimed from upholstery salesmen samples.) Some of the materials may naturally show the effects of time which lends unique air and character to each piece. As with any feat in upcycling, sourcing their materials can be a challenging process, thus the design of each bag is very dependent on the materials they’ve uncovered… Making each piece a true original.

Everything is cut by hand in-house and sewn locally in Toronto. As an ode to their home-roots, they’ve even developed a series of bags named after our fair city’s streets. Look for their funky Ossington, their urban Wellesley, or their arty Augusta - each piece is true to the feel of the area. Discover the range of the historically inspired, refreshingly original creations at: www.jackandmarjorie.com/online_shop.htm

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