Will Hammond has turned his childhood interest in the environment into an accessories empire with this label, Willrecycle. The cleverly named company turns old plastic bags into vanity cases, wallets, and other purses.
Hammond began creating his upcycled plastic bag accessories as a teen attending Art College. Back then he sold his wallets and card holders to locals at the Greenwich market on weekends. He still has that stall at the Greenwich Covered Market, but these days his sustainable purses have found a global fan base through his online store.
Hammond’s collection is very practical, with its vanity bags, wallets, change purses, and pencil cases. Each one is made by fusing layered plastic bags together to create a much thicker, and stronger, material. This leather-like fabric is also easy to keep clean and resistant to water and oils. The colors and prints come from the original bags, rather than at the end of the design process, to minimize the carbon footprint.
Around 10 billion bags are distributed each year in the United Kingdom, yet only one in every 200 is recycled. Willrecycle looks to curb this problem and save many of these bags from landfill. It’s a great concept, so it’s a little disappointing that the collection is so restrictive. I’d love to see evening purses and even larger day bags created using the same techniques, wouldn’t you?
