Couple crafts iconic luxury handbags from common food and product packaging

Yes, you're not seeing things. It is a Kellogg's Dior Saddle Bag, but no, the French luxury goods brand has not partnered with the cereal company for an exclusive collaboration. 

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The pictured bag is the product of an Italian duo's upcycling efforts paired with craftsmanship know-how. 

And while upcycled bags have been quite common for a while with brands like Freitag, which makes items out of recycled truck tarp, this Italian pair has taken upcycling to another level — the luxury brand level. 

On their Instagram account (@camera60studio), you will see bags in familiar, iconic silhouettes — think the Hermes Kelly bag, Dior saddle bag and Louis Vuitton trunk.

What's strikingly different from their branded counterparts though, are the materials that they are made from and the prints that appear. 

Hence what you will see is a Dior saddle made from Kellogg's corn flakes packaging complete with the green rooster and a Kellogg's K to replace the usual metal D ornament. This particular silhouette seems to be the pair's favourite given that there is a Nike and Oreo version of the same design on their account too. 

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The Fendi baguette, which made its debut, also gets reinterpreted with the familiar Golden arches on the McDonald's brown bag. And it is sturdy with enough space to carry two cheeseburgers and a side of fries, with some space to spare. 

Given the detailed construction of these bags, it's not too surprising to learn that the faces behind camera60studio have worked in the fashion industry, with a focus on bags and accessories. Both of them hail from Italy and Chiara Rivituso is a pattern and product developer, while Matteo Bastiani is a technical consultant who creates prototypes. 

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More than just a project to wow people with their creations, for the duo, their efforts are "to communicate our vision of a more sustainable environment", they shared in an interview with Vogue. 

They don't just limit their works to food packaging either. Some of the bags are crafted from packaging from fashion labels as well as Amazon. While their Instagram account only dates back to 2019, the duo started crafting these unique bags a few years ago. "We wanted to bring the craftsmanship leather goods details into everyday objects," shares Rivituso. 

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But it was only after the Covid-19 lockdown in Italy that the pair started to craft more bags and share them on social media. And while they aren't for sale, the duo has shared templates and short videos of how to make some of the bags they have shared. 

TV host Jazmin Reyes from the Philippines is one such person who has used their notes to make her own Krispy Kreme saddle bag or what she terms a "Diornut saddle bag". 

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For Rivituso and Bastiani, they hope to promote a more sustainable mindset amongst the public as well as the brands with their efforts. As for us, we can't wait to see which iconic bag they next perform an upcycled take on. 

kailun@asiaone.com