These bags are rubbish

PRESS RELEASE - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 30 October 2007

These bags are rubbish

Here’s a conundrum: Would you rather bury perfectly good materials in the ground to pollute the earth for all eternity or recycle them into devilishly stylish bags to carry your stuff around in? Hmmmmmm……what to do?

Auckland , New Zealand– October 30, 2007- When it comes to sustainable business practices, producing huge canvas billboard skins, sticking them to a wall for a week or two and then burying them in a landfill is not one of them. But a West Aucklandbusiness is attempting to redress the balance by reincarnating the skins into a range of satchels, bags and clutches.

``I had a piece of a billboard skin tucked away in my house for years, certain that there was a better use for it,'' says Glenda Keegan, owner of WAS, the company producing the range. ``It had a great design on it, was waterproof and extremely tough and hard wearing. It just didn't make sense that all this stuff was being thrown away.''

In 2004 WAS - as in `was something else' - came into being when Glenda used her mother's old Singer sewing machine to cobble together the first bag. ``It wasn't pretty, but we could see the potential,'' she says. Since then the techniques for sewing the bags (``It's tricky material to deal with'') and the materials used other than the billboard skins - including seatbelt straps - have all been refined to a popular range of products that combine fashion with extreme durability and, above all, functionality.

The latest to realise the ingenuity of the WAS range have been a number of corporate clients, who have asked WAS to produce bags from their own advertising billboards, or simply placed orders for their own staff, and more recently, as carbon-free gifts to clients.
``The business world is embracing sustainable practices at an ever-increasing rate, and it's pressure from consumers which is driving the changes. I made a conscious decision to be sustainable by using recycled materials to produce my range, and it's encouraging to see people make that same decision, based on the same values, by buying them,'' says Glenda.

Newest in the WAS range is the `Baby Bag', although family bag may be more apt. It's large, although not cumbersome, and well designed; there are pockets and zips - and a change mat - for every eventuality. The beauty of this bag is that it still has its uses when baby is out of nappies - with it's waterproof, wipeable interior makes it the perfect beach bag or sports bag.
Then there is the laptop bag. You can sure no one else has got one like it. In a recent review in the NetGuide Magazine, it was awarded four and a half stars out of five. The only imperfection the review could find was the lack of side protection in the foam inner, an issue that had already been realised and rectified by Glenda by the time the review went to print.
One of the most popular is the satchel, and more recently, it’s smaller cousin, the mini-satchel. Both are the ultimate street bag, combining chic urban fashion with great functionality.
Finally there is the clutch, a cute and funky purse with a thin leather strap that makes a funky streetwear accessory.

Coming soon for Christmas…

Almost ready to go at WAS is the ‘Tote Bag’, loosely inspired by the green bags found for sale at your supermarket. Similar in shape and volume capacity, that’s where the resemblance ends. This is a designer bag designed for carrying bigger loads and is the perfect shopping bag for around town. As durable as the rest of the products, the new tote bag will give years of stylish service.
To be among the first to know about the release of the tote bags, visit the WAS website at www.was.co.nz and sign up to ‘WAS Updates’ to receive email notifications of new product added to the shop.

WAS has stockists in NZ in Auckland, Mt Maunganui, Hawkes Bay, Waitomo, New Plymouth, Wellington, Dunedin and Queenstown, or you can purchase bags internationally from our online shop at www.was.co.nz/shop/shopping.asp.

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