Berlin design students Lobke Beckfeld and Johanna Hehemeyer-Cürten have developed a translucent fruit-leather handbag.

The new handbag dissolves in water and can be used to fertilise plants once it is no longer needed.

The Sonnet155 is made from two different post-industrial waste materialsfruit skins left over from juice production and short cellulose fibres sourced from a local textile factory.

Although it resembles a purse or tote with swooping top handles, the handbag has a lifespan closer to a disposable paper bag and is designed to degrade naturally with wear before it can ultimately be composted or recycled.

Small Sonnet155 bag in green and larger tote bag in yellow

“We designed the handbag as an upgrade to the ordinary paper bag but of course, we hope that it appeals to people in a strong way and will be worn, used and loved until it starts to dissolve,” Hehemeyer-Cürten told.

“Thus, it might also be a temporary handbag. The elegant shape transforms the material into a desirable product, which represents sustainability as a treat rather than a burden.”

Green Sonnet155 carrier bag being dangled over water

Sonnet155 handbag key ingredient is pectin, a gelling agent that is extracted from the cell walls of the waste fruit and acts as a natural binder.

This is reinforced with cellulose fibres shorter than five millimetres long, which are filtered out during the industrial textile production process because they are too short to be turned into fabric.

Combined with warm water, the mixture is left to cure in a mould for up to five days before it is sewn together.

Yellow fruit leather developed by Lobke Beckfeld and Johanna Hehemeyer-Cürten

“The percentage of cellulose, as well as the length and density of the fibres, determine the structure and level of translucency and the resilience of the handbag material,” said Hehemeyer-Cürten.

“Natural pigments offer a range of colours from light to dark, translucent to opaque and dull to shimmering and the structure of the mould makes the material matt or glossy.”

[BDCK category=3 Keywords=”CE-Caffe Latte Modern Home”][/BDCK]

Blue and yellow fruit leather patterns for the Sonnet155 bag

Once it is too worn down to be used, the material can be dissolved in warm water and recast to create a new handbag of the same quality.

Alternatively, the cellulose can be filtered out with a sieve and reused, while the pectin can be repurposed as plant food.

Green bag made from fruit peels by made from fruit peels by Lobke Beckfeld and Johanna Hehemeyer-Cürten alongside a swatch of the fruit leather in peach

Beckfeld and Hehemeyer-Cürten, who are completing their master degrees at the Weißensee Academy of Art Berlin, are currently looking for manufacturers and industrial producers to collaborate with to make the Sonnet155 handbag commercially available.

SEE ALSO: STREET STYLE IS BLOSSOMING AGAIN IN NEW YORK PARKS

[BDCK category=3 Keywords=”CE-New Products CL”][/BDCK]

And you? What do you think about this sustainable handbag? Leave a comment below!

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments