Here is an example of material reuse which I always admired, since I first laid eyes on it. You remember the most popular clothing style for the unlucky second, third and even worst for the fourth child, "hand me downs"? "The Rag Chair is designed by Dutch designer Tejo Remy for Droog. Remy creates these one of a kind furniture pieces as individuals send in their old clothes which he then crafts a chair which is held together by black metal straps. Although the "hand me down" clothing line was free to anyone with an older brother or sister and a financially strapped family, the Rag Chair is not for anyone with financial woes nor is it for the frugal at heart. The Rag Chair has a price tag of $3,500 and has a manufacturing time of 8 to 12 weeks.
I can imagine sitting in this chair, recalling great memories of my life thus far as I flip through the various articles of clothing. My plaid shirts of the early and mid 1990's as I and most of my friends were emulating Ice Cube. Or the Levi jeans with the worn knees from spinning in circles on the floor as a kid trying to master the art of break dancing. The UDM fleece I wore in design studio as a graduate student working on my thesis, Cultural Innovation - Hip Hop Inspired Architecture. How about the Negro League baseball jacket, which always drew tons of attention during my student exchange in Europe? Or the shirt I wore when I first met my wife, and the tuxedo jacket I wore for the wedding ceremony how about my assortment of tropical swimming trunks I wore during our honeymoon in Jamaica.
The perfect song to listen to while sitting in this chair is Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' "Thrift Shop".
