The Cull: Puebco’s Market Totes Made from Recycled Materials

Tis the season for totes: to bring to the grocery store and farmer’s market, beach and gym, on boat rides, picnics, weekend outings, and more. If you ask me, the smallest, such as the half-size shopper pictured above, also make perfect warm weather evening bags.

We particularly like the options from Puebco of Japan, which specializes in making household necessities, such as trash bins and blankets, out of reclaimed and recycled goods. Founded by designer Hirotaka Tanaka, the Tokyo-based company’s mission is to turn scraps into “renewed lifestyle items.” The company’s handmade products are produced in India often from repurposed Indian materials—such as truck seat covers. Here, a sampling of Puebco’s standout totes from the line’s online store and US vendors.

Above: The School Tie Fabric Bag, $34 from the Puebco Online Market, is made from Indian school uniform polyester used to make ties: eight different stripes are available. Above: Puebco’s College Tote Bags come in four shapes—Vacation, Library, Market, School—starting at $54 from Nordstrom. The handles are made from school uniform belts found in a market in India and the canvas is recycled. Above: The Recycled Plastic Stripe Bag is $46, in this square version and available in a range of color combinations from Nordstrom. The short, wide Recycled Plastic Stripe Bag, shown as our featured image, is $42. Above: The Grocery Bag with Handle is a waxed canvas version of the supermarket staple. It comes in brown and white, small, $22, and large, $30, from the Puebco Online Market. Above: The Covered Parachute Shoulder Bag is available in orange o4 white; $80, from Nordstrom.

Hirotaka Tanaka writes: “The material was found in a certain town in India in an area where military surplus goods are distributed. I visited a small specialty store where used fabrics were piled up to the ceiling and there was no place to step. Guided by the man in the store, I climbed up the huge pile of fabric and moved through it, searching for something that was neither this nor that. I have an attachment to this material that cannot be expressed in words, as I have spent hours struggling with it, as if exploring a cave.”

Above: The Puebco Vintage Recycled Sling Belt Tote Bag is made of recycled canvas laminated to make it more durable; upcycled cargo belt straps are used as handles (available in green, blue, and orange). It’s $34 from Urban Outfitters.The backstory: “We first found this bag at a flea market in Brooklyn,” writes Tanaka. “It was a bag that was used in the libraries in America. The handles are short and perfectly designed to be durable in carrying books. The one we found was well worn: it had holes but it was beautiful knowing it had served its purpose. In search of the right material to reproduce this tough bag, we traveled to three cities in India. We found a canvas made for truck canopies that had the desired strength. As this bag becomes a part of your lifestyle and as it gets more worn, we are sure it will become more beautiful. Just like the bag we found in Brooklyn.”

Above: The Document Bag of recycled plaid fabric and used belt webbing, $48 from the Puebco Online Market. Above: The School Tie Fabric Bag comes in seven striped combinations and is $34 from Nordstrom. Above: Fashioned from the carpet-like fabric once used as truck seat covers in India, the Puebco Truck Seat Fabric Zip Tote Bag is $54 from Urban Outfitters. Above: Stitched from recycled tent and awning canvas, the Market Tote Bag is modeled after Indian laborer’s bags down to the charming imperfections that comes from hand construction and stamping. Nordstrom’s offers the bag in four sizes—40, shown here, is medium—starting at $46.

• For more favorites and a bit of history, see Object Lessons: The Classic Canvas Tote.
• Also see The 7 Best All-Purpose Canvas Tote Bags, Under $120 Edition.