DHL × BEEN London backpack
A new life for tough-to-recycle vinyl DHL advertising banners salvaged from Formula 1 race tracks, each of these backpacks has a unique cut of the logistic giant’s distinctive yellow and red.
L 32 × H 41 × W 10.5cm
£290
Product story
Every last element of this backpack began life as something else (even its designer, who began her career as a journalist for the BBC), or was destined for a landfill. Named the Circuit Collection, BEEN London teamed up with DHL – the longest-standing advertising partner for Formula 1 – using its trackside banners to create a range of accessories, of which this backpack is a part. Some still retain small marks from the high-adrenaline car races to which they bore witness.
Manufacturing story
BEEN London’s all-female team, helmed by Genia Mineeva, manufactures all products by hand in East London using artisanal methods. Thanks to an unwavering commitment to sustainability – using exclusively recycled and salvaged materials and no-waste pattern cutting principles – BEEN London has already saved nearly 2 tonnes of waste from landfill. Their aim is to change the perception of discarded materials: waste, they say, is only waste if nobody uses it.
Manufacturing story
BEEN London’s all-female team, helmed by Genia Mineeva, manufactures all products by hand in East London using artisanal methods. Thanks to an unwavering commitment to sustainability – using exclusively recycled and salvaged materials and no-waste pattern cutting principles – BEEN London has already saved nearly 2 tonnes of waste from landfill. Their aim is to change the perception of discarded materials: waste, they say, is only waste if nobody uses it.
Designer
BEEN London
A former journalist and communications director, Genia Mineeva understands a story – and the one she tells with BEEN London is of innovation, craft, and the enormous potential of so-called “waste”.
Atelier100 is championing independent creatives, makers and manufacturers with interesting and original concepts. We want to spotlight local design and production, so all our collaborators are based within 100km of Central London. All the products on our website are for sale at the Atelier100 store in Hammersmith, London.