It takes a true artist to turn trash that no one needs into something magical that can stand the test of time—and Paula Votteler is that artist. She became a true Instagram sensation after she started crafting handbags and other accessories from plastic waste.
Votteler enjoyed making clothes from a young age—she learned how to crochet at five, attended a sewing class in her youth, and learned how to embroider on her own. After giving up the idea of studying fashion design because she wasn’t any good at drawing, she decided to get a degree in packaging technology, which helped her reconnect with her roots.
“I’ve always enjoyed working with existing materials because they hold more value to me when I know their story or if they have one at all. With my packaging technology degree, where I also learned all the benefits of plastics, it somehow seemed inevitable that I would eventually merge both fields,” she told The Berliner.
Votteler has been interested in sustainability and recycling for quite some time and decided to use her designs to make our planet a better, cleaner place. Her bags are made from fabric, beads, packaging, and discarded waste, and she wants her bags to be a reminder “that fast fashion should not be supported and that we treat our planet like dirt.”
