a chair made out of old clothes?
A while ago we wrote about recycled cashmere blankets sewn from old sweaters. They were pricey but homemade and super soft. Then we came across the Rag Chair by Droog at Greener Grass Design. Made from the contents of 15 bags of rags, the buyer has the option of sending in his or her own discarded clothes to be included in the design. While we love the idea of making furniture from castaways, at $3,325 this seems more extravagant than economical. We wonder: If the chair is made of your own clothes, do they lower the price? The design is whimsical and crafty and looks like it’d be comfy, but we’re not convinced. What do you think: Trashy design or divine trash?
People had the same reaction to the cashmere blankets that since they where from donated materials (the blanket website asked for sweater donations) that the product should be better constructed not to mention cheaper. If I was to pay that much for a chair it would be an investment piece and not whim or impulse purchase.
I saw this chair when I was up in Hudson this past weekend. It’s possibly even uglier in person than it is in the photo. I didn’t bother to look at the pricetag because it was so fug, but the fact that it’s over $3,000 is insane. I seem to recall the straps were metal (though I could be wrong), so it didn’t look especially comfortable to me either.
While I don’t find this chair that attractive, I have to wonder about “green” or recycled designs that cost thousands. I mean I just have to WONDER. Should you spring for the $8000 table from sustainable wood that was produced in a green factory under ideal woking conditions and has a top-notch designer pedigree name attached? Or, do you buy the $300 table from some mass producer like Ikea or Target, then you give say $3000 to some organization like Food for the Poor, (who will build an entire HOUSE for a family for that amount) or to that program in Kenya where that $3K will build a dam for an entire TOWN to have water for their crops. I like the idea of recycled and sustainable design (esp.DIY) but can’t dollars be put to better use sometimes than furniture? In short, I vote for this chair being “more extravagant than economical”.
If I saw this in someone’s house, and I knew that they’d made it from old clothes, an old chair frame, and plastic strapping, I’d think it was awesome and applaud their ingenuity.
But for $3000, made for you by a designer, it seems excessive, and I agree with what Julie says. Just buy a nice secondhand chair and donate the other money burning a hole in your pocket to someone who actually needs it.
i agree with people about the pricetag totally killing the idea that it is cleverly ‘green’ design. i’d also think it was awesome if i or someone i knew made it though.
HOWEVER, i also think it is quite inhumane to use so many clothes that could be given to homeless people who need warm clothes to make a chair. maybe i’m going overboard here, but unless those clothes were totally moth eaten i’d feel real guilty sitting there.