Cute Product Alert: Recycled-Tire Handbags

In third-world countries, folks have been wearing sandals cut out of old tires for as long as there’s been tires. But here’s a novel concept: why not craft attractive handbags out of old truck inner tubes, smack on a designer-level price tag, and call it good? English Retreads has been in the business for a few years, and their products are admittedly pretty cool—since they’re made from recycled product, each one’s different, and in many cases you can see factory markings and even the ghost of the tire’s former tread imprinted on the tube rubber. But here’s what’s really cute: every item in their line of lady-bags and man-purses has an automotive-themed name: you can get a Beetle, a Bentley, or accessories like the Fan Belt and the Sidecar. My major sticking point is the pricing—I like stuff that’s cheap or free, it seems a little crazy to shell out such big bucks for items that you could probably make yourself with a rivet gun and a few junkyard scraps. Verdict: cute, but spendy.