From fire to fashion

Used fire hoses and decommissioned British Army parachute silk may not sound like glamorous materials, but a group of artists is giving functional fabrics a fashion makeover.

Elvis & Kresse creates stunning life-style accessories by re-engineering seemingly useless wastes. The London firm designs eco-friendly products, to transform the hoses into handbags and the silk into linings that bear the artists illustrations and prints.

The resulting accessories line will launch during London Fashion Week next month, reports W Magazine.

The line will include messenger bags with gold silk linings featuring a volcano image by Liverpool-born Paul Morrison, and rubber wallets adorned with a spiderweb drawn by Frenchman Olivier Millagou.

Fifty percent of profits will go to causes associated with the materials, such as the Fire Fighters Charity.