anyone can re-use old things to make new things, but only the few do it artfully, making the most of the former to craft the new object with panache.
vancouver accessories designer/artist ashley watson is an exception...she is truly one of the few makers who get the redux right. she trolls secondhand shops for discarded leather jackets and other leather clothing, which she then turns into amazing handbags, wallets, and other small leather accessories, each of which is absolutely one-of-a-kind as a result. ashley makes each of these pieces herself, by hand, and has been doing so since 2006.
i like that ashley's bags have a hand-made, organic feel...but also like that they look extremely well-constructed. she makes the most of the construction lines and details of the original leather garments, putting them to use to create the form of the bag, working with, and not against those details. though each of her bags and other pieces is "new," it also has an inherent "history" that the most recent owner of the current incarnation of the leather can potentially ponder.
intrigued? do check out the rest of ashley's bags, as well as her wallets, and belts.