From Bags to Beauty: Sara Bella Upcycled in Bend

From Bags to Beauty: Sara Bella Upcycled in Bend

Katrina Sarson | December 26, 2011

You might not think there’s a connection between recycling plastic bags and fashion. In Bend, Sara Bella Upcycled wants to prove you wrong. The locally owned company recently won a 2011 Sustainability Award for Innovation from the Environmental Center in Central Oregon.

Owner Sara Wiener transforms used plastic bags into fabric for wallets, belts and clothes.

You might not think there’s a connection between recycling plastic bags and fashion. In Bend, Sara Bella Upcycled wants to prove you wrong. The locally owned company recently won a 2011 Sustainability Award for Innovation from the Environmental Center in Central Oregon.

Owner Sara Wiener spent more than a decade running Sara Bella Custom Outdoorwear before deciding to focus on creating beautiful things from recycled materials. These days, her storefront in Bend’s Northwest Crossing shopping center is filled with bags and plastic. There are slender newspaper delivery bags, 50-pound bags that used to hold dog food, takeout food bags, shopping bags — even large display banners from the Old Mill District and around town.

Starting with flimsy bags and sturdy plastic, Wiener and her staff create “fabric” using heat and pressure. Each piece of fabric shows the colors, logos and designs from the original bags. The fabric is cut and sewn into everything from wallets and bibs to messenger bags and totes. Recently, Sara Bella Upcycled has started experimenting with fashion items like coats, vests and even a formal dress for a prom.

According to The Source Weekly in Bend, Wiener estimates they have prevented 18,000 bags from ending up in landfills and in the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch,” which is a heap of floating debris in the Pacific Ocean estimated to be twice the size of Texas.

You can try it at home — the process of creating fabric is simple enough that Wiener has taught students from elementary through high school how to do it.

Check out our video to get a tour of Sara Bella Upcycled and learn how to make fabric from used plastic bags.

© 2011 OPB

 To learn more about Sara Bella* Upcycled first hand, consider joining us for Green Drinks on Thursday Januray 26th at Sara Bella* Upcycled at 2748 NW Crossing Drive in Bend!