Sallyann's Handmade Bags

My name is Sallyann, and my company is Sallyann's Handmade Bags. I make handbags, backpacks and accessories such as purses, neckbands and fleece neckwarmers. I make everything in my range myself in my sewing room in West Clare. When I make the handbags I use water repellent outer fabrics that I design myself, inspired by the wildflowers that grow in and around my home in West Clare, near Miltown Malbay. Every handbag is fully lined with recycled denim jeans that I get from the Irish Wheelchair Association. Each handbag represents a pair of jeans that has not gone in to landfill. I try to reuse as much of the jeans as I possibly can, so I use pockets to place on the front of my backpacks, every bag has a key clip sewn in using a belt loop from the jeans, and I reuse the zips and offcuts of my outer fabrics to make little coin purses. I am attempting to aim towards zero waste in my manufacturing process. RTE Nationwide featured my business because they loved my use of recycled denim combined with the flowers of West Clare. My neckwarmers are made from 100% recycled polyester eco fleece, which has been made from recycled bottles. All fabric printing is carried out using eco friendly inks to minimise environmental impact.