|
FASHIONABLE, FLEXIBLE & SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE
It’s not paper. It’s not plastic. And now,
supporting a Green lifestyle can be fashionable. Lighten your load and help New
Orleansits-laS-tik™, the only reusable shopping/grocery bag that goes above and
beyond the call of duty. its-laS-tik™ not only helps the environment by
eliminating the need for paper and plastic, but it does away with physical
stress caused by carrying heavy bags, looks sleek and smart and gives back to a
community in need. It’s fashionable, flexible, and socially responsible.
  
For
years, ideas running through the minds of two life-long friends made it no
further than the kitchen table. Designs for ingenious house-hold products,
exquisite jewelry and unique handbags, were created in a New Jersey basement
and until now, had never made it past than the eyes and ears of supportive
family members. Consistently amazed with their talents, creativity and
ingenuity, everyone anxiously wondered when they would actually hit on
something and show the world what they had to offer. But year after year, they
failed to reach the public. Idea after idea, they couldn’t seem to communicate
to those who would actually benefit from something thought up in the New Jersey
basement. Until one day, one idea proved to be so dynamic and undeniable that
even those 8-inch thick, concrete, basement walls didn’t stand a chance of
holding it back.
Launched
in 2008, what’S ur bag is a company owned and operated by Susan Princiotto,
however, the idea for the company was formed far earlier. Susan Princiotto
(designer, founder and CEO) and Joan Elmore-Nutting (Business Development and
Marketing specialist), full of ingenious ideas of all shapes, sizes and purposes,
originally decided that handbags would be their focus. Together, they had a
knack for creating unique and eye-catching designs, and initially produced a
recycled denim handbag using old worn jeans, that even caught the eye of
several big names in Hollywood. It was brilliant, but the flame died down and
the recycled denim bag slipped to the backburner. Their “little company” was
pushed to the side and life, and its many priorities, took over.
Soon
after, and quite unexpectedly, what’S ur bag came into focus once again. While
the whole world was “Going Green” Susan also tried to do her part. She had a
compost heap in the backyard and unplugged her appliances at night. She even
bought as many reusable bags as her kitchen could handle, with the hope of
finding the answer to eliminating paper and plastic grocery bags. However,
purchase after purchase led to the same problems… the bags were heavy and
weren’t very easy on the eye. The wheels were set in motion, almost
uncontrollably and immediately, and her nimble fingers began to sew. She
purchased fabrics of all kinds: cotton, hemp and even corn. Prototype after
prototype, she struggled to design the perfect reusable shopping bag, yet every
final product had one thing in common: they all looked the same. She needed
something that worked and something that looked good (because as she has always
believed, going Green doesn’t necessarily mean forgetting fashion).
With the
purchase of a shiny green fabric, simply because it was ‘pretty and green’, it
was clear Susan was onto something big. Once the bag was complete, she began
filling it with groceries, realizing something was extraordinarily different;
it held much more than a regular reusable bag. The bag itself actually
stretched. Not only did it hold more, but it felt like it held less. It moved,
bounced, and then went right back to its original shape when emptied. She
washed it, and then washed it again and again, but the bag remained the same.
Utilizing
flexible fabrics in highly fashionable prints, what’S ur bag created
its-laS-tik™ to take the stress off your hands, back, shoulders and knees with
their elasticity and flexibility; its-laS-tik™ actually mimics the bounce in
your step. While other ‘reusable’ bags don’t stretch, only carry a certain
amount of product and remain as heavy as the regular paper or plastic grocery
bags they replace, its-laS-tik™ does much more:
•
They take the shape of their contents and hold them securely
•
Move with you as you walk, enabling you to double the load per bag while never
feeling the effects
•
Spring right back into its original shape once emptied
•
Are washable, reusable, economical and fashionable
With
a dedication to making their products in the USA (rather than China where most
other reusable bags are manufactured), and a love in their hearts for New
Orleans, the connection made itself. Driven by the opportunity to provide work
for residents of New Orleans, put money back into a struggling economy, help
the underprivileged in that economy, and do something helpful for the
environment, the dominoes began to fall. Like magic, vendors in New Orleans
seemed to appear interested, and a connection to a charitable organization
(Hope House) was established. its-laS-tik™ bags are manufactured by Hurricane
Katrina survivors and almost every aspect of the company is outsourced to New
Orleans natives. The material is sourced there, the labels are made there and
even the graphic artist and Web site designer is a native of the city. 5% of
the sales of its-laS-tik™ bags is also donated to Hope House and the bags will
be recycled there by the homeless community.
The
decision to forge ahead seemed to be out of their control, and finally it was
time to reawaken their “little company” and launch their brand. The successful
launch took place at the Go Green Expo in New York City on April 26 through
April 27, 2008, and its-laS-tik™ was welcomed by the Green community with open
arms. This time around, they had a product that made sense… and made a
difference. “I’ve helped those in need my entire life,” states Susan, “and I’ve
felt a closeness to New Orleans that I just can’t describe. I love New Orleans
and if I can help the environment while helping a city partially devastated by
the environment, I feel like I’ve done some good in, and for this world.”
 
|
