New Series of upcycled Camo Bags, Please watch this short video piece titled American Baggage created in collaboration with the filmmaker Walter Smits featuring one of the designs in the new collection of bags.
The new bag designs are made from secondhand, vintage, deadstock, and remnant fabrics that include various hunting and military camouflage patterns. The hardware and charms are deadstock, vintage, or found objects, embracing sustainability through creative reuse.
But why camo? The camouflage felt like a natural progression from The Key green screen bag, as both fabrics function visually to conceal, mask, or transform. Camo has also maintained a presence in fashion since the mid-20th century. Originally designed for military use during World War I, wearing camouflage became political commentary during the 1960s, and by the 1970s, fashion fully adopted the pattern. So my submission to the history of camouflage in fashion is a collection of one-off, upcycled, over-the-top, confused, and stylishly contradictory statement bags.
These bags revel in their own absurdity through deliberate visual tension. A leafy hunting camo and military-grade camouflage act as the foundation for gaudy patriotic pins, plastic Jesus keychains, and kitschy Americana trinkets. The juxtaposition is intentionally jarring—symbols of nationalistic devotion and religious fervor clash against patterns developed for warfare, creating an irreverent commentary on American identity.
Each bag functions as a portable collage of contradictions—the sacred and profane, the tactical and decorative, the serious and the frivolous. Handcrafted, one-of-a-kind bags merging sustainable practices with bold design offer something mass production simply can't. By repurposing these loaded materials and symbols, the collection subverts expectations while acknowledging the complex, often inconsistent expressions of identity in contemporary culture
See all the new pieces HERE (www.useldingfridays.com)
Thank you for following along. Until next time, Friday Friends.
<3
Joshua