Vicky Gerke and Laura Langevin have seen their home-based business, Echoes in the Attic, grow exponentially – thanks to their passion for quality, innovative design, and environmental responsibility.
Co-owners Gerke and Langevin, who describe themselves as mompreneurs, have been hand-making eco-chic handbags from excess designer textiles, diverted from landfill. Over the past 14 years, they have not only created a recognizable brand and product, they have successfully kept more than 120 tonnes of fabric from landfill.
Echoes in the Attic produces all-Canadian, up-cycled, vegan leather, small batch, handmade eco-bags – tens of thousands of beautiful, useful handbags that are now available at retail partners across Canada, at their webstore, at shows like the huge Sugar Plum Fair at Nottawasasaga Inn Resort, and at their GirlCave HQ in Bradford.
They will also be opening the doors of the GirlCave to the public for the BWG PASSION MADE Artisans’ tour, Sept. 21 and 22.
“What started out as a little eco-endeavour, doing our small part to help the planet by upcycling and repurposing excess textiles, has surprised and exceeded our expectations,” said Langevin. “So many large design-based companies are helping us by being forward-thinking about their excess fabrics. We’d be nowhere without them.”
Beautiful, sturdy vegan fabrics have been donated by many international companies, as well as high-end designers. Gerke and Langevin transform the fabrics into unique ‘small batch’ handcrafted handbags, totes, clutches, x-body and weekender bags.
The local company had an unexpected boost back in 2012 when they were featured on CTV National News as Canadian Originals.
That brief segment rocketed Echoes in the Attic into the “stratosphere,” Langevin said – as well as crashing the company’s website, selling out the webstore, and adding new stores to the company’s retail outlets.
“It’s a gift that keeps giving,” said Gerke. “We still have people recognize us from that three-minute segment, seven years ago.”
The premise is simple: donated fabrics are kept out of rapidly filling landfill sites, designers are saved the costs of disposal, Echoes in the Attic can keep hand-made craftsmanship alive while keeping down its own costs, and the public can purchase small batch handmade, beautifully designed eco-chic and eco-friendly bags at reasonable prices.
Echoes in the Attic is at 22 Gres Court in Bradford. For more information, click here.
