Balkan tango was established in 2004 to come up with useful and pretty fashion accessories for town dwellers. Behind this brand there is Ipek Türkoglu, the founder and designer of Balkan Tango. You can find amazing bags made out of used bicycle innertubes on Supermarket.
This is a recent interview from el-oso.
How did you come up with the idea to create messenger bags out of bicycle tubes?
It was something like love at first sight! What particularly appealed to me was the silky way the tubes felt to the touch (after being polished ;). Along with this came the thought of making something that at the same time is environmentally-friendly. These two aspects rolled into one made me come up with the idea of creating bags from punctured bicycle tubes.As I have always been designing and making bags for practical use this was only too
self-evident for me.
Can you briefly describe how you go about making the bags?
Getting cleaned all the trashy inner tubes certain parts of the bags are compiled in our Budapest-based workshop. Particular stress is put on these phases of the workprocess so 100 % recycling and quality sewing is ensured.
When the bags are half-made they are completed in a workshop which is out from Budapest. Here 3 professional sewers specialized in sewing exclusively rubber finish the rest of work. This way we can make it sure
that each of our items is 100% hand-cut and sewn.
Was it difficult to set up your own business?
Well, in Eastern Europe and in the present state of economic affairs it was pretty challenging :)
How did you introduce yourself to the cycle shops around Budapest? Do they like that their discarded tubes are turned into bags?
Actually the owners of these shops had a very different attitude to recycled design. At the beginning some used to kind of steer clear of this idea :(, but as time went by they’ve come to like it :). However, here in Hungary we
still have a lot to go so environmental consciousness is raised.
Are their other recycled materials you’ve thought about working with for the future
We make bags from used LPs but this summer we are making the last betches of
them and from autumn on focus is going to be on tarpaulin.
