Green fashionable handbags from NYC designer! Using Repreve® recycled canvas on the outside and Repreve sailcloth lining on the inside and even organic hemp, JulieApple™ prints are created using AirDye® technology, today's revolutionary alternative to traditional dyeing that manages the application of color to textiles without the use of water.

ABOUT JULIE APPLE

Julie Apple happened one day. One day it did not exist and then in a moment it did. I had an idea that changed everything. I had an idea for a new collection; sustainable, made with fair labor, and my designs. On this particular day I was frustrated. Looking back, I know I was dreaming a little. I was frustrated because I could not think of any company that would pay me to make this kind of collection. I ran through all of my industry connections built up over 15 years and came up with scratch. It changed everything because I could not leave it alone. My brain was awash with questions about why, and how. Why not work with materials made from recyclables that can be recycled again? Why not buy materials close to home to encourage jobs and reduce material transportation pollution? Why not commit to being sure fair labor is built into a collection from the inception? Why couldn’t sustainable collections look like mainstream collections? Why wasn’t I doing this already? I had been, by industry standards, very successful. I sold more and more of my designs every year, to more people in more countries, and there was clamoring for more, or so I heard. It would be even better if they were sustainable and made with fair labor practices, right?

Once this thinking got into my bones, I could not shake it. I could not return to business as usual. So I started JulieApple. I immersed myself in the details of raw material sourcing, writing purchase orders, booking freight and many other non-designer skills. I sketched and dreamed and worked a few fashion consulting jobs. I took my time, talked to everyone and nurtured relationships with those that would make the collection. It had to be better.