These bags have some bounce
Rubber Killer totes and shoulder carriers put old rubber back into circulation
Last weekend Rubber Killer caught the eyes of young shoppers at the Baan Lae Suan Fair with an edition of funky designer products made with used inner tubes. The creator is Chiang Mai-based architect Saroengrong Wongsavun, a son of National Artist in literature Rong Wongsavun.
Just as a hobby, he opened the Re-Leaf Studio at his home. He spends his free time fashioning accessories from materials found around most people’s houses. The output has included sticky paper made from banana trees.
Joining the global push to try and save the world from waste, Saroengrong launched the Rubber Killer brand in 2010. It turns old pieces of rubber into bags of various designs, textures and sizes.
“I love designing eco-friendly products,” he says. “Rubber is a durable material that doesn’t decompose on its own, so I made some rubber wallets to give to friends, and they liked them a lot. That was the inspiration for opening Rubber Killer.
“The rubber I use comes from several sources and I rely on five or six manufactures to come up with different designs and textures. I categorise the materials according to pattern and it takes a month to clean and wax the rubber.”
Inner tubes from 10-wheel truck are used in a line of small, light bags and other accessories, while the stronger, heavier rubber from tractor wheels goes into durable shoulder bags.
The bags are black and simplistic, but smart and practical for any occasion. There are more than 20 designs to choose, ranging from messenger bags, tote bags and waist bags for bikers (with straps made from seat belts) to pouches, wallets, key rings and cases for iPhones and iPads.
The latest line is called Rubber Killer & Friends, in which materials imported from abroad is utilised.
“Some customers have complained that the bags are too heavy for everyday use, so I try to find new materials that are still friendly to the environment, like paper milk bags from Australia and New Zealand, canvas belts and a ‘wool’ from Japan that’s made from protein.”
The best sellers include smart military-style tote bags and handbags shaped from US Army dufflebags. Tote bags are forged from 32-ounce canvas belts typically found in factories.
Elsewhere there are black totes featuring truck inner tube and protein wool, handbags that can double as backpacks made from canvas and inner tubes, and brown shopping bags that were once paper milk bags.
Rubber Killer products are sold at Propaganda, Happening Designity and the Eco Shop.
WASTE NOT
<< Do your shopping online at www.Facebook.com/rubberkiller.
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