Designer Inner Tubes

by Liana Hamidon

Rubber inner tubes are not necessarily the first thing to come to mind when you think about luxury handbags, but in the hands of Ken Kobrick, an ex-welder, and Angela Greene, an inventor who doesn’t even carry a handbag, the material somehow seems appropriate for a Saturday night gala.

The brilliant idea was born back in 1999 when Angela purchased a backpack made from inner tubes. Inspired and deciding to make a “green” impact on the accessories market, both Kobrick and Greene stayed committed to recycling, and they were passionate about creating products that were functional as well as unique and classic in design. Neither had any formal design background, but soon the couple was experimenting with hand sewn designs.

Passchal’s contemporary yet classically elegant bag collection includes clutches, messenger bags, totes and purses, all made with soft rubber repurposed from inner tubes that have spent most of their lives as part of the giant wheels on agricultural tractors. In keeping with their eco-friendly beliefs, the added style-factor comes from combining the rubber with calf leather that’s vegetable tanned and chrome-free. Ken says the rubber, which they save from its fate in a landfill, is so soft that it sews and cuts like leather. And with each tire having its own individual marks and scuffs, each bag is a one-of-a-kind. These chic handbags might get you some serious mileage at cocktail parties, so to speak. To date, Passchal has recycled approximately 26 tons of inner tubes!

Passchal bags launched in May 2004 and instantly received much attention from the media and celebrities. On top of that, they have been featured on The Today Show, and in Entrepreneur and Rolling Stone magazines, to name a few. They have also been featured at the Billboard Music Awards and at Olympus Fashion Week.

To learn more about Passchal’s stunning line of handbags, visit www.passchal.com