BGBL is a Made in Italy brand that produces bags with a view to upcycling. The bags, made by hand, combine art, uniqueness and sustainability giving life to an accessory full of quality and value.
Through upcycling, the brand is able to reuse basketballs that would otherwise be thrown in the garbage, giving them a second “precious” life.
Each bag follows a different artisan and artistic path, thus allowing each ball to be transformed into a valuable garment capable of telling a unique and personal story.
The personal design of BGBL means that the collection is composed only of unique pieces, of quality and Made in Italy: a ‘mix and match’ of new and old leathers, of Italian design and sport, therefore, where fashion and sustainability upcycling it. they are the bosses.
Upcycling, a trend that is becoming popular all over the world, is mainly applied in the areas of furniture, design and fashion. Through upcycling, BGBL and all the more sustainable companies are able to combine art and creativity with sustainability, helping the environment to preserve itself and, at the same time, to the artists to reinvent themselves.
But what is Upcycling?
The term upcycling refers to the increasingly widespread trend of using waste materials, fabrics and objects to create “new” articles and consumer products. Objects thus created acquire a greater value than the original objects.
The upcycling trend is mainly used by modern designers who are able to transform old objects into refined and precious items. Through upcycling, therefore, the life cycle of a product is extended, bringing positive benefits not only to the environment, but also to the object itself.
Upcycling can be used by designers and brands, but it can also turn into a practice that all of us, with a little curiosity, can carry on.
Are upcycling and recycling the same thing?
The term upcycling can literally be translated into “recycling better”.
Unlike recycling (through which the waste of an object is sought in the original product), upcycling takes a step further: it creates a new object that is also an “art form”. designers and innovative brands, to transform a used object into an aesthetically and emotionally better item.
The goal of upcycling, therefore, is not to repair an object and restore it to its initial function, losing value, but to enhance a waste and transform it into a completely different object with higher quality.
A significant difference if we think that with recycling energy is also consumed, while with upcycling a lot of it is saved, reducing the cost and reshaping the consumption of raw materials.
BGBL and upcycling
There have been several examples of upcycling in fashion. In fact, in various renowned fashion shows, innovative designers have presented creative garments, produced through the mixture of old and new fabrics, which have given life to garments full of additional value.
An innovative brand, which has made upcycling its mission, is BGBL, a luxury Made in Italy brand born in 2018. The brand, which produces upcycled and sustainable bags, made its debut at Mipel 115, the largest event international leather goods exhibition in 2019.
Elisabetta Viola, its founder, grew up in Treviso surrounded by basketball: it was a rebound during a basketball game that inspired the creation of her brand. His passion for sport was then combined with his design studies and his strong interest in the circular economy.
Elisabetta’s idea bounces between craftsmanship, sustainability, sport, vintage and modernity. BGBL, in fact, combines sport, style, past and modern through the use of unique materials and textures that tell the world of upcycling in a current context.
The upcycling of basketballs
The main concept of the brand is sport and how this too can be sustainable and, therefore, a starting point for protecting the environment.
To combine the two values, in fact, BGBL produces its articles using non-recyclable sports objects, such as the basketball and the players’ tracksuits. The balls are used as material for the external creation of artistic bags and the suits to redesign the inner linings.
To achieve this goal, BGBL involves the Venetian basketball teams, requesting old and used balls from them, supplying them with completely new balls in exchange.
Each ball is unique, tells a story and can be reused to create sustainable items that make the experience of owning a bag unique and personal.
This is what the brand defines as “contemporary luxury upclycing”:
BGBL believes in second chances, in the re-planning and redefinition of reading standards. The collection of bags and backpacks is produced in the cradle of Italian know-how: the Riviera del Brenta and tells stories of sports, ball passes, players, friendship, victories, goals achieved.
BGBL is Made in italy
Among the various values of the brand, craftsmanship and Made in Italy are two of the most important values: ecological sensitivity is therefore combined with a passion for Italian design.
BGBL bags, in fact, are all made of cowhide and packaged by Venetian leather craftsmen, hand-cut and sewn with high quality leather. Elisabetta’s aim is precisely to maintain a zero kilometer production circularity:
We design, develop and produce in the Riviera del Brenta, promoting local artisans, Italian savoir fair and Made in Italy.
The suppliers of raw materials are all Italian and come from Tuscany and Venice. Furthermore, the teams selected for the basketballs are Venetian teams, through which BGBL tries to raise awareness of the territory and enhance its land.
The BGBL bags
In BGBL’s unique and personal collection, there are three main models:
- B-Five: unisex one-shoulder backpack, with black or green lining, identified by BGBL as the most representative of the collection;
- B-Three: bucket bag, balanced of genuine leather, balls and fabric lining of game uniforms;
- B-One: handcrafted shoulder bag in genuine leather.
The balls are cut by hand, while the internal lining and the external structure are made with the fabric of the basketball players’ uniforms.
The collection is designed to be functional: the bags are suitable for both men and women, in their daily moments or during evening events; finally, the unisex backpack can be used as a business bag or as a daily companion backpack.
For BGBL, true luxury means choosing to act, promoting sustainability and giving a second chance.
The hope of Elisabetta and of the whole BGBL team, for the future, is to continue to transmit the values of the brand to more and more people: design, sustainability, love for sport and respect for the environment.
