Reused Aircraft Transformed into Bags, Keychains, and Eateries

Reused Aircraft Transformed into Bags, Keychains, and Eateries

In the realm of sustainability and luxury, a new wave of innovation is taking flight. Several airlines and brands are repurposing retired airplane seats and cabin materials, combining sustainability with aviation heritage.

Plane: A Sustainable Luxury Brand

The new company that's making headlines is Plane, founded by British brothers Ben and Harry Tucker. Plane produces a range of luxury upcycled luggage and accessories, including weekenders, messengers, rucksacks, laptop, tablet, and phone accessories. Their mission is clear: to create luxury products while promoting sustainability.

Emirates Aircrafted Collection

Emirates, a leading airline, launched a popular limited-edition line of handcrafted luggage, backpacks, and handbags made from materials salvaged during their major fleet retrofit of Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft. These products use upcycled premium leather from First and Business Class seats, aluminium headrests, and other cabin materials. The bags are crafted by Emirates’ own engineering tailors in Dubai, blending aviation history with sustainable fashion. Proceeds support the Emirates Airline Foundation charity.

The Emirates Aircrafted Collection is especially notable for its scale, craftsmanship, and charitable impact. More than 30,000 kg of materials have been repurposed so far from 63 retrofitted planes. Each item is unique, featuring hand-cleaned, reconditioned, and stitched materials, including rare items like fur from the Captain’s seat.

Lufthansa, Austrian, and SWISS Upcycling Collections

European airlines Lufthansa, Austrian, and SWISS have also joined the movement, offering unique products sourced from retired aircraft materials. While specific items are less detailed, the initiative focuses on giving a new lease of life to aviation materials through collaboration with the airlines, likely including accessories or decor items.

Japan Airlines Upcycled Items

Japan Airlines offers aviation-themed accessories such as fuselage skin tags, life vest keychains, stools, and bags made from upcycled seat covers, particularly from their decommissioned Boeing 777 aircraft. This brand approach caters to enthusiasts wanting tangible pieces of aviation history in useful or collectible formats.

ANA's Sustainability Efforts

Allied to this movement, ANA, a Japanese airline, is repurposing old staff uniforms into a range of bags. The fabric used by Plane comes from retired aircraft operated by airlines worldwide. The material used for ANA's staff uniforms is strong, durable, and suitable for bag production.

Ivory Coast Innovation

In Ivory Coast, entrepreneur Aziz Alibhai is planning to turn old aeroplanes into social spaces, including conference rooms, a restaurant, and luxury bedrooms. This innovative project demonstrates the versatility of airplane materials, extending beyond the realm of fashion and travel accessories.

Textile Properties

The fabric used in airplane material is lightweight, robust, flameproof, and stain resistant, making it ideal for durable travel bags. Each piece of fabric used by Plane has traveled an average of 18 million miles, visited 62 countries, and flown at 575 miles per hour at 35,000 feet in the air.

Plane's Longevity

A typical plane flies for around 25 years before it starts to wear out, but when grounded, it can still be repurposed for innovative projects. This transformation of discarded aircraft cabin components into stylish, functional, and collectible products not only promotes sustainability but also offers customers and fans a meaningful connection to aviation.

1. Plane, a sustainable luxury brand, produces upcycled luggage and accessories, embedding luxury with sustainability.
2. Emirates' Emirates Aircrafted Collection features handcrafted luggage, backpacks, and handbags from repurposed airplane materials, supporting a charity.
3. The collection includes items like weekenders, messengers, rucksacks, laptop, tablet, and phone accessories, made by Emirates' own tailors in Dubai.
4. Lufthansa, Austrian, and SWISS have also started upcycling collections, focusing on creating unique products from aircraft materials.
5. Japanese airline Japan Airlines offers aviation-themed accessories made from upcycled seat covers, including fuselage skin tags, life vest keychains, and bags.
6. ANA, a Japanese airline, is repurposing old staff uniforms into bags, using strong and durable fabric previoulsy used for airplane materials.
7. In Ivory Coast, an innovation project aims to turn old aeroplanes into social spaces such as conference rooms, a restaurant, and luxury bedrooms.
8. The fabric used in airplane material is lightweight, robust, flameproof, and stain resistant, making it ideal for travel bags with a long lifespan.
9. The transformation of discarded aircraft cabin components into stylish, functional, and collectible products is not only sustainable but also provides customers a meaningful connection to aviation.

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