When I started my rebrand earlier this year in June, I knew that I wanted to do more than sell vintage clothing. I wanted further curate my selection for the website to feature more of what I liked, but I also wanted to create newly made sustainable goods. I didn’t want to jump straight into the world of sustainable textiles and clothing, so I started small with an accessory instead. This brought about the creation of The Green House Tote. I’ve gotten a lot of questions regarding the tote bag, such as how is it sustainable and why does it have a plant store on the front of it? Hopefully this blog post answers all those questions and shows why I’m so excited about this project.
First, let’s look into what makes the bag itself a great product. It is made of a heavy and durable 100% recycled organic cotton canvas material. I selected this material for the tote bag, not only because of its sustainability, but also because of how durable and long lasting it is. I’ve been using the tote bag for about a week now, and as it breaks in overtime, it feels buttery to the touch without wearing down at all. It also meets the global recycled standard, certified by IDFL. It was assembled in India with fair wages and screen printed in the United States with top tier printing technology for a long lasting graphic. Its 12x15x4 inch 3-D rectangular prism build allows for the storage of all your daily needs, along with a smaller pocket on the inside for tinier items. Overall, this bag is built to last and doesn’t contribute to the fast fashion waste cycle.
For the graphic pictured on the bag, I was heavily inspired by a tote bag I saw months ago. The bag was for a book store and it had the stores entire store front pictured on it in great detail that I had only ever seen on print advertising before. I knew I wanted to create something similar with my own brand’s look and feel in mind. I wanted to capture a sense of coziness and nostalgia that would make anyone identify with the bag. I always loved going to the plant store every spring with my parents to get vegetables and flowers for the garden. I took this idea and added some more personal touches to make a fictional plant store, including the “apparel” in the signage, the types of plants in the window, as well as my dog Dory who passed away earlier this year. The graphic was an opportunity for me to let my imagination run wild and I’m glad it’s resonating with everyone so far!
All in all, The Green House Tote is my most passionate project to date and I can’t wait for it to be yours! :)
Thanks for reading!!
-N.M., The Thrifting Tree