Sustainable Fashion – Upcycled Tire Accessories by Laura Zabo

Disclaimer: I was given products by Laura Zabo in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Fast Fashion

Just like fast fashion, cheap jewelry and accessories that we purchase and forget about have become extremely problematic. Many of the jewelry pieces sold in fast fashion retail shops go bad, turn green, and hurt to wear soon after you purchase them. This is especially true if you have sensitive skin.

Likewise, there is a long list of other accessories that we wear and use daily that are made available to us for cheap prices due to their poor quality. We are quick to throw away things that are cheap and made of poor quality, and we are causing landfills and oceans to be extremely polluted. We are wreaking havoc on our ecosystems and the atmosphere. I urge you to start making sustainable choices to meet your fashion and design desires. It is only us who can save ourselves from the pollution pit we are creating around us.

Sustainable Fashion – Reusing + Upcycling

An amazing alternative to fast, cheap, and “throw away” fashion is REUSE. Small business owners are making use of items that are typically discarded by giving them a new life. Unlike thrift shopping, they “upcycle” these items into brand new products. Laura of Laura Zabo does just that.

Where do bicycle tires go when we discard of them? Who knows? Well, it is important that we both know and care. Bicycle tires fill landfills and pollute land and water when they are improperly discarded – and many of them are wrongly discarded. Laura Zabo is working to make the life cycle of wasted tire rubber last a little longer than it previously has. She hand crafts old bicycle tires and tubes that are no longer useful for their original purpose into jewelry, fashion accessories, and more.

Quick Facts:

• Americans generate 220 million tires each year. (1)
• Improperly discarded tires serve as breeding grounds for disease carrying insects, such as mosquitoes. (2)
• The breakdown of tires causes hazardous waste. (3)
• Discarded tires are a fire hazard. Tire fires burn hotter and are harder to extinguish. (3)
• Only about 35% of tire waste is recycled. (3)
• 42 states regulate tire disposal, 8 states have no restrictions on discarded tires, 11 states ban tire waste in landfills (USA). (3)

Unboxing Laura Zabo:

Watch me open my Laura Zabo package! What will you order in yours?

Upcycled Tires – Why I Love It:

Aside from completely reimagining the use of a tire and making the lifespan of tires extend beyond their usefulness on bicycles, Laura’s work is cute and trendy! She sent me two belts, a necklace, a dog collar, and a dog leash. Boston and I took a few photos and I had a blast coming up with a fun outfit to highlight these accessories.

I’ve been wearing the belt every time I need a belt lately. You can have your belt personalized to fit you and it is easy to create  extra buckle hole to help it fit best. It was super easy to do. I don’t see this belt aging any time soon, so it will be a staple piece in my wardrobe.

The necklace is very vogue, as well. I love that it is all black so that it can match nearly anything. I don’t like overly gaudy jewelry, and this piece makes a bold statement without weighing you down or taking over your neck. This necklace is just the right size. The material (tire) doesn’t start to erode and irritate your skin. I don’t want to have to constantly adjust and readjust and fix pieces that I’m wearing. It is soft, not heavy, and I forget its on, which is something that I like in my jewelry.

Featured Pieces by Laura Zabo:

• Mini Curlywurly Upcycled Inner Tube Necklace
• Yellow Lines Bicycle Tire Belt
• Seeing Red Bicycle Tire Belt
• Black and White Bicycle Tire Dog Collar and Leash Set

Overall, I love what Laura Zabo is doing with her brand. She has elevated recycled and upcycled fashion and I hope her work inspires people to invest in sustainable fashion and accessories. You can shop the looks I’m wearing and more at https://laurazabo.com and visit her pages on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Remember that EVERYTHING can be done sustainably, y’all!

xoxo dolls & dudes,

Addie