English Retreads

English Retreads was an American eco-fashion company that made handbags and accessories from recycled materials. The company was known for its products that were all low environmental impact, vegan, and handcrafted in Boulder, Colorado.

English Retreads

Company type	Privately held company
Industry	Fashion accessories
Founded	2001 (2001)
Defunct	December 2014 (2014-12)
Fate	Liquidated
Headquarters	Boulder, Colorado , United States
Key people	Heather English (Owner and Designer) Molly Dempsey (Sales/Marketing) Kate Soloman (Business Manager)
Products	Handbags, wallets, belts, laptop bags, key chains
Number of employees	9 (2007)
Website	englishretreads.com at the Wayback Machine (archived December 27, 2014)

English Retreads, named after its designer Heather English, offered handbags, wallets, belts, laptop bags and keychains that were all made from recycled materials, primarily reclaimed rubber and recycled PETE (plastic bottle) material.^{[citation needed]}

History

English Retreads began in 2001 by designer Heather English in the basement of her home in Nederland, Colorado.^[1] While floating down Boulder Creek on an old inner tube, English was struck with the idea to create a non-leather handbag from her rubber inner tube to fulfill her need for a sustainable and fashionable product.

English expanded the English Retreads line to include vintage rubber messenger bags, wallets, belts, dog collars and key chains. Truck stops throughout the Boulder area supplied English Retreads with the used inner tubes. Each of which typically had more than 60,000 miles on it before it was reinvented.^[2]

The company used the url EnglishRetreads.com. They closed in December 2014.^[3]

Material

Typically, English Retreads were made completely from reclaimed rubber inner tubes. The products come from trucks and tractors. The rubber was cut, washed, dried, and buffed in order to prepare for resale. It is then cut into specific patterns to form the handbags.^{[citation needed]}

The last line, "Luxe", used the rubber inner tubes for the product exterior and colorful PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) material lining for the interior. The PET material was made from 100% recycled plastic bottles. The last handbag in the collection uses PET material on the outside with accents of inner tube rubber. The handbags come in a variety of shapes and sizes, small enough for a clutch and large enough as a tote.

Industry

English Retreads fell into the luxury goods category of eco-friendly handbags.

Recognition

Media Attention included features in the New York Times,^[4] CBS4 Denver^[5] and The Rocky Mountain News.