After 13 years, Echoes in the Attic has rescued 100 tons of textiles from the landfill and turned it into upcycled eco-handbags, said co-owner Laura Langevin.
The mompreneur, who runs the Bradford West Gwillimbury business with Vicky Gerke, said they are still blown away by how much material they have used and how the business has grown.
“Over 100 stores in Canada carry us. We never thought … this would have the legs it has,” she said. “All from little Bradford.”
All the fabric they use in their creations is brand new from high-end designers, who have excess material from other projects.
“We don’t have to dumpster dive. We have incredible suppliers who give us fabric,” Langevin said, adding the environmental reusing of materials is “the most important thing.”
And this weekend, people will have a chance to check out Echoes in the Attic’s latest creations at its home studio, known as the Girl Cave, during the BWG Studio Art Tour.
The free tour runs Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.
There are four other stops on the tour: Art in the Barn, 291 Morris Rd. (four artists); BWG Leisure Centre, 471 West Park Ave. (seven artists); and the BWG Public Library, 425 Holland St. W. (nine artists).
Echoes in the Attic is the only solo artist location on the tour, which it has participated in since the beginning, said Langevin.
“We’ve had lineups at the door,” she said, adding people often scope out their Facebook page prior to the event to see the latest offerings. “They’re gunning for that bag, and there may only be one.”
Langevin said some of the hottest handbag trends right now include using vegan leather, which is a plastic material that is animal friendly.
With vegan in the name, some people get confused, she said. “It does take a lot of on-the-ground explanation.”
While Echoes in the Attic carries a variety of styles, one of the most popular ones is a bag with a strap that goes cross-body, she said.
“Plaids. People seem to love buffalo check,” she said. “We had a weekender (duffel) bag that went like wildfire.”
While people can check out many of Echoes in the Attic’s latest creations during the BWG Studio Art Tour this weekend, they can also see them at The HandMade Market on Friday and Saturday in St. Catharines.
Moving forward, Echoes in the Attic will start moving more of its business to its online store, rather than attending as many events, said Langevin.
“(Before,) we just couldn’t hold on to a bag long enough to put it on the web store,” she said, adding now they do “small batching,” where they can sometimes make a few of the same item if there is enough material.
“We’ve got a great web store, and we’re going to be loading it to the hilt.”
For more information about Echoes in the Attic, visit echoesintheattic.com or its Facebook page.
For more information on the BWG Studio Art Tour, visit bwgstudiotour.ca.
