Pull ring designer bags and jewelry that make you feel twice as happy!
Da-Lata accessories are real eye catchers. The sleek, modern design in combination with the use of recycled pull tabs from cans, create a striking metallic look. Reflection of light on the pull tabs give the an irresistible attraction. Furthermore, these items are surprisingly light weighted and flexible.
Not only the Da-Lata products look super stylish, they are also hand made in a sustainable way. Da-Lata is founded by Astrid Barney, a Brazilian designer that lives in London: “We love upcycling. We create ethical designs that are clever, cool and classically inspired.”
Da-Lata is Brazilian for “from the can”. This label uses the recycled aluminium ring pulls collected by “catadores” (Brazilian for “garbage pickers”) and works directly with Brazilian women artisans, providing them with stability and higher incomes in return for their amazing workmanship. The ladies select, clean and flatten them with pliers to make them safe and comfortable to wear before they start linking them with crochet techniques, creating its unique chainmail effect.
Da-Lata gives the ring pulls a new lease of life by being upcycled into timeless pieces which are fair traded wearable works of art that are long lasting. These products are timeless and treasured pieces. Tactile, effortlessly cool and amazingly light weight, we believe our products will enchant anyone who wears them. It will glint and glistens as you walk into a room. A fabulously versatile accessory it will bring you a touch of glamour to a casual look or carry it in contrast to a sleek party dress.
So where does Da-Lata get so many ring pulls?
These cans are collected by small armies of people knows as “catadores”, (Brazilian for "garbage pickers") who are part of a larger sector known as waste-picking. Such activities are now recognized officially as occupations and supported by the Brazilian government. This acceptance and legalization has allowed many disadvantaged people to earn money by collecting cans left on the beaches and bars everywhere.
The ring pulls are separated from the cans and large bin bags are filled with them. The "good ring pulls" – those that are not stained, dirty or broken – are then selected. The remaining aluminum cans go to recycling plants. Recycling aluminum uses only around 5% of the energy and emissions needed to make it from the raw material bauxite, and as the metal can be recycled time and time again without loss of properties, getting into the aluminum recycling habit is one of the best things we can do for the environment.
A part of the ladies that make these stunning bags work together in a cooperative and determine their own prices and are paid according fair trade principles. Another part of the ladies who crochet these bags are in prison. By learning this craft and earning money for it, these women are encouraged to organize their lives in a positive and non criminal way. Once they come out of prison they can stay on the project and make a good living for themselves and their families.
Click here to browse through the DaLata products