Nice look at how luxury companies are tapping the ‘eco’ market.
Somewhere in an Amazonian rainforest, an indigenous person is tapping a rubber tree. Two small cuts extract its latex. The tree is left untouched for two years so it can fully heal, while the rubber, once refined, is sent to Italy. There, a craftsman fashions it into a handbag, lines it with recycled Italian cotton shirting fabrics or canvas salvaged from Swedish and Italian Army fatigues, then outfits it with nickel-free hardware. The result? A new line of luxury handbags called AmazonLife, which have the sumptuous feel of leather but are created with sustainably harvested rubber. AmazonLife is launching now in the United States through AP Bags USA. Bags retail for $200 to $500. – from Christian Science Monitor