Seen at Soup&Fish

uhhh…either it´s the sunny weather or it´s a temporary flirtatiousness….anyway, i´m in love with all kind of metallic tones.
Last week i bought 3 pairs of shoes that shimmer and glimmer.
VERY unfamiliar for me, usually i consider the blingbling accessoires as way too girly for me. Doesn´t matter - i have a new passion and here we go with my today´s metallic item: bag by maiden-art. Is looking great, isn´t it?

Foto from maiden-art

Photo credits: OH DEAR.

If Julie Chochard´s bags are also next season hot topics is uncertain, for now, her first collection, -
one Canvas-Model in 4 different designs- is hyped by numerous Bloggers, Sellers and Buyers. It´s not really the freshest hottest shit - but still nice pieces. The bag-model is practically, but was unfortunately as often seen as the print-themes: pencil, smiley, sunglasses.

I am, curious about the next collection. Hope, it´s more cutting-edge. For those who want to polish their nu-rave outfits, here´s the link to Julie Cochard´s online-store.

Photo credits: Julie Cochard

When I think of social fashion projects, inevitably images of grandma´s knitgroup and their christmasbazars or woven, gaudy textiles in Third-World Stores cross my mind - The social fashion-project Affentor disabuses me in having nothing in common with that.
Themed with “Holly Golightly meets Mary Quant” the label Affentor shows a high quality, well elaborated und at the same time enchanting beautiful spring/summer bag collection, composed of laptop-, pouch-, handle- and tote-bags for ladies and gentlemen. Alone, the collection is mentionable - especially the notebook bags are outstanding beautiful, but if you pay attention to the fact, that but that there´s a exciting social-fashion project behind Affentor it makes the brand even more attractive and recommendable.

In 2001, Eve Merceron and Christian Jungk founded Affentor based on the idea that emerging designers should be supported in producing and merchandising their products. But Affentor is way more than an umbrella brand for young designers pieces - Germ cell from Affentor is the socially conscious project run by the non-profit organization Werkstatt Frankfurt. Affentor, which developed out of the Werkstatt Frankfurt sewing workshop, offers long-term unemployed people the opportunity to become qualified in fashion-sewing, and consequentially improve their changes to find reemployment. The in-house workshops produce items designed by emerging designers, who have been selected on the basis of their creative merit. The sustainable concept is fulfilled by the use of fabric remains and old drapery stockings for limited editions and unicums and shows, how fashion biz could work it out for better.
Affentor embraces the philosophy that there should be a more conscious attitude towards social and ecological issues in regard to individual consumer patterns and the fashion world as a whole. When style does good - it´s Affentor!

Photo credits: Affentor

Gym teacher Bernd Dörr is the only one who make bags from recycled sports equipment leather and gym mats. His new brand “Zirkeltraining” (Ciurcit Training) is since October 2007 on the market and was presented on the “Blickfang” in Tokyo. Retro gym teacher reinforced his efforts about the gym equipment, so the collection grew bigger with models like handstand, crouch, roll, pommel horse and buck. Every piece is handcrafted and unique, extreme resistant, carries sweat - inducing and informatory memories with it and is not only interesting for sport freaks.

You can buy “Zirkeltraining^TM” in selected bag shops in Germany, The Netherlands, Italy, Japan and Austria. My personal favorite is the laptop sleeve made from old gymnastic mats. It brings my first kiss on my mind. In second grade. Covert. In the room for gymnastic mats at elementary school. Do you think, the bags smell like these old gymnastic mats? Mmmhhh…I should feel it out…

Photo credits: Zirkeltraining

In the Abteil atelier in Stuttgart, Germany, new and recycled truck tarpaulins, air mattresses, mail bags and other inventive materials are used to craft high quality, handmade bags in various designs and sizes. There are day and night bags, bags for notebooks, bags for travelling and for shopping. Custom orders are also always possible. On the photos, there are the shopping-bags made from new truck tarpaulins, with a special latch, two small pockets and one pocket for mobile phones, and…last but not least, a carabiner for keyrings. Huuuu….they produced with brain! Here, you can get the perfect citytravelbeach-companions.

Photo credits: Abteil

Black patent leather bag by abro - an old family business that is into leatherwear since 1930´s.

Photo via abrotaschen.de