If you’re a lover of all things niche in pop culture, then perhaps you follow not only the latest social trends, but also the latest obsessions. We always find it interesting to see what the public fixates on next, whether it’s pumpkin spiced lattes or a funny 30 second viral Vine created by some teenagers at school. You might remember, then, when the Portland airport announced last year that they’d be tearing up their iconic, kitschy patterned carpeting and replacing it with something new and updated. The Internet nearly rioted, with people claiming how the carpet at that high traffic international airport had always been a comforting feature that made them feel at home when they were on the road. In fact, people cared so much that several companies, like The PDX Project, began offering to recycle pieces of the torn up retro carpet into things like doormats and luggage tags so that people could keep a little piece of the old design.
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One of the companies that got in on the initiative was London-based Plane Industries. This group specializes in upcycling pieces salvaged from decommissioned planes and scrapped airport features, just like the PDX carpet.
Within Plane Industries, brothers Ben and Matt, along with their team, repurpose unneeded airline materials into a varying selection of bags. They use everything from carpets to seat coverings, right down to the screws and metal pieces that come out of deconstructed airplane parts.
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Even though the bags are made from reclaimed materials, they’re still just as stylish as any bag you might find in the mall. In fact, their gorgeous features might even make them even cooler, if you ask us! Besides coming in a range of useful styles, from traveling hand luggage and totes to backpacks, each bag created has a laptop compartment. They’re also all embroidered with a monogram of your initials and packaged with a custom leather tag telling the story of your personalized bag.
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Whether the materials for your bag came from the mechanics of a scrapped plane or the felted fabric of a decommissioned seat, the leather tag will give you an idea of where in the world each piece came from, as well as how far and how high the materials once flew. This means that each piece you purchase will be completely unique from the other bags and accessories the company sells.
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Luxury business accessories with upcycled materials; Yes you can
Are you a frequent traveler who knows how many people sit in plane seats and touch the interiors? Don’t worry! Plane Industries has thought of that too. To make sure their custom pieces are hygienic and top quality, Plane Industries deeply steams all of the fabric they reclaim and makes sure each metal piece has been thoroughly cleaned as well. The piece you receive is completely disinfected and pristine, just like bags made from newly manufactured materials.
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Do you love the idea of having a reclaimed piece made specifically with travelers in mind, but you’re not sure you need another bag or backpack? Well, keep browsing the Plane Industries site, because they have a host of other accessories as well. Consider instead a top quality phone case or a uniquely made laptop or tablet sleeve!
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Plane Industries also understands that traveling is expensive, so they’ve created their products in a range of prices. More affordable pieces begin around $50 USD, while the larger or more chic looking bags reach just over $350 USD. These more highly priced items are the reason for the websites catchy description of the bags: “luxury waste”.
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If you’d like to learn more about Plane Industries’ initiative, check out their pricing or models, and even pre-order a bag of your own, visit their website!
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