Today everyone in the world is surfing but I am not because I am writing up an article about... surfing. I could cry but I shall not. Instead I will give you a preview about an upcycling initiative that features in the story.
Katie and Chris are the pair of people behind a business called Oddsocks. They source unloved and redundant 1970s curtain fabrics at boot sales and charity shops - the crazier the better. This stuff tends to be fantastically durable, which means it would take approximately one squillion years to break down in a landfill. Katie sews the end-of-line booty together with natural unbleached canvas sailcloth to create drawstring surfboard bags. The board socks are whipped up on a hand-wound (as in not electric) sewing machine she bought on Ebay for £15, purchased from an octogenarian whose own grandmother was the machine's original owner.
The bags suit soul surfers who ride hand shaped sticks and like a bit of personality in their kit. Says Chris, their customers are looking for a bag "that can rise to the occasion". Each one is completely unique, and they aim to create products that are in fact "one-off pieces of art that just happen to be functional".
I do believe the Oddsocks website has been redesigned since I last checked in, and it's looking lush. Take a peek, and in the meantime let Katie's words inspire your own upcycling efforts: "With the board socks I wasn't aware it was something I was capable of doing until that very first one - I think you can surprise yourself!"
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