Gorgeous, ethical bags from Wyatt & Jack

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Happy new year! May 2019 deliver you a bucket load of happiness and everything else you’re wishing for. This year, I’m going to make an effort to live more sustainably, starting with Veganuary (I promise I won’t bore on about it) and making ethical shopping choices as much as possible. I’ll share my favourite findings with you – from eco retreats and shopping to easy and green life hacks.

So, the first business I’d love to tell you about is Wyatt & Jack, based on the Isle of Wight. The lovely founder and designer, George Wyatt-Lovell, transforms discarded bouncy castles, deckchair canvas and inflatables into colourful ethical bags and accessories.

How it all started

George moved back to the island eight years ago to be nearer her family. She shared a workshop with a friend’s father, who was one of the first beach concessionaires on the Isle Of Wight. One morning, after he’d unfortunately developed early onset Parkinsons, he asked George to remove the yellow PVC from some old sun loungers, so he could scrap the metal. She did so and fell in love with the old yellow plastic. She couldn’t part with it – so made herself a bag.

It occurred to George that this would be happening up and down the country, so she tracked down the other UK beach concessionaires. She started collecting their old deckchair canvas, so they wouldn’t send the fabrics to landfill. Someone saw her bag, and loved it – so she made them one, and so on, and so on…

Bouncy castle fabric seemed a natural progression. George remembers watching her son play on one at a school fete and thinking ‘well, if they’re sending deckchair canvas to landfill, what do they do with these?’

Send in your old inflatables

Wyatt & Jack also have an Inflatable Amnesty Initiative – where you can post them your old/broken inflatables to be turned into a new ethical bag, or other accessory. So no excuses for keeping that punctured old paddling pool in your shed.

Brilliantly, they’ve saved 7/8 tonnes of fabric, including inflatables, in the last six months. And incredibly, around 20-30 tonnes since the business began 8 years ago.

I bought one of the large tote bags last year (see above) and I absolutely love it. It’s neon pink, with a leopard print strap and stripy deckchair canvas inside. Just looking at it makes me feel happy! It’s a perfect size for days out or going swimming, when you need to haul around towels and a lot of stuff for kids.

If you’re super organised are thinking ahead to Valentine’s Day, they also make really cool cycling bags, if your other half is into that.

Grab yourself a discount on an ethical bag

If you’d like to own one of these beautiful ethical bags, or know someone who’d appreciate one, you can use the code JABBERWOCK1 for a 5% discount. Head over to Wyatt & Jack’s site here.

Like this post? You might also enjoy this review of Triclimb’s pikler triangle.