REUTERS/Jo Yong-Hak
Did you ever think of emulating Lady Gaga’s meat dress ensemble at the 2010 Grammys? Now, anyone can wear leather accessories made from their dinner meat.
Well, maybe someone else’s dinner. A restaurant in Brooklyn’s trendy Williamsburg neighborhood is taking sustainable business to the next level. At Marlow and Sons Restaurant, shoppers can buy handbags, wallets, footballs and medicine balls made from the hides of the cows and pigs served on the menu.
(More on TIME.com: Is NYC America’s Greenest city?)
Kate Huling, who co-owns the restaurant and attached butcher shop Murrow and Daughters with her husband, designed the rustic-chic leather handbags which sell for between $300 and $400. Huling’s products are covered with nicks and imperfections, which she says many people mistakenly don’t associate with quality. She hopes to soon add rabbit fur hats and lambswool sweaters to the store’s selection.
“One of the things that really motivates us is supporting farmers,” Huling told ABC. “We’re also motivated by trying to connect people with food that they eat, the food that nourishes them and gives them energy.”
In addition to purchasing grass-fed meat exclusively from local farmers, Murrow and Sons works with struggling New York City tanneries in the fashion district.
When was the last time you got this much out of leftovers?