Accessories boutique Sequel London launches online

Spring is coming and it’s high time to replace your old winter handbag with a shiny new one. An online boutique for new ethical accessories brand called Sequel London launches this month. Jenny Butler writes.

Sequel’s range of leather bags are created from recycled leather jackets, discarded silk ties and unwanted curtains.

The Spring / Summer 2010 collection consists of  six designs, which are priced from £39 to £79, and offer bespoke, durable styles at high-street prices.

The aesthetic of the first collection features leather covered button details, and a removable recycled silk tie decoration, which has been used to add colour and texture to the range. Linings are sourced from offcuts of high-quality secondhand curtains, provide the delicate detail which makes each individual Sequel product unique.

Sequel London was set up by cousins Laura Queening and Claire Baigent  as a means to reduce waste and encourage sustainability in fashion.  Sequel carefully select unwanted clothing from Oxfam Wastesavers, breathing the life back into old clothing.

All products are designed by Laura Queening, who graduated from London College of Fashion in 2007, she said: “We wanted to use those cast-offs that most of us have in the back of our wardrobes, to produce classic, beautiful pieces which can be worn with pride time and again.”

The tie details on each bag will vary depending on the stock donated to charity, so no two bags will ever be the same. The whole range is available in black leather, with some styles available in either black or brown.

Like the name suggests, all the accessories are made in the capital and Sequel London uses recycled materials wherever possible, with all swing tickets, packaging and stationary made from recycled paper. The company also aims to reuse whatever materials it can on a day-to-day basis.

Queening said: “Fashion can change so quickly, and often we see clothing that is in excellent condition, but wouldn’t be worn by the more fashion conscious among us. We only choose the best quality material, even if the clothing itself has long since passed its fashion sell-by date, and from that we make a new product, reducing waste and offering something different in today’s disposable lifestyle.”

Sequellondon.co.uk.