The rock-grunge look is still big amongst fashionistas, mostly thanks to La Moss in her skinny grey jeans, blazers and black kohl and self-styled bloggers such as Rumi Neely of Fashion Toast.
With the latest designer/charity collaboration, rock chicks can indulge in their I-don’t-give-a-damn style while serving a good deed. Bottletop (the fashion label and charity which alleviates poverty and empowers young people) and Vincent du Sartel of Atelier Du Sartel have teamed up to create a collection of handbags which combine luxurious leather with reclaimed ring pulls!
Du Sartel has a sold design background – in 1986 he joined Louis Vuitton, focussing on accessories, before becoming artistic director at Loewe in Madrid. In 2003 he set up Atelier Du Sartel; his brand has designed for labels including Salvatore Ferragamo, Liberty, Bulgari and Mango. His debut collection with Bottletop features soft chrome-free leather and tough, recycled ring pulls, a combination that will appeal to women of all ages and walks of life.
Each Bottletop bag is hand made by a team in Brazil using recycled ring pulls collected by local communities, along with leather additions sources from Somerset, England. Over two million ring pulls have been salvaged from waste and modelled into these amazing bags, and every single product purchased helps education projects in Malawi, Rwanda, Brazil and the UK as well as generating incomes for the locals.
My favourite is the gold clutch bag. If ever there was a great excuse to buy a new handbag, this is probably the best one: enjoying fashion while contributing to what is an important and relevant charity.
And that, my darlings, is fabulous.
The new 2011 autumn/winter collection starts at £150 and will be available from www.bottletop.org from 1st August 2011.
(You can also find loads of information about the charity on this website).
