Sword and Plough Transforms Army Surplus into High Fashion
From epaulettes in the 18th century to Adam Ant's glam-admiral look in the 80's, the fashion world has long borrowed from the military.
The fashionistas at Sword and Plough take a more literal approach. The company's bags and accessories have been repurposed from military surplus - army tents, sleeping bags, and parachutes - that would otherwise end up in a landfill.
Sword and Plough is the brainchild of sisters Emily and Betsy Nunez, daughters of a retired colonel. Yesterday they launched a Kickstarter campaign to produce their first line. In 24 hours they've nearly tripled their original goal of $20,000.
Still, the sisters are facing some unique obstacles. Emily is an active-duty army officer stationed in Colorado - she will be deploying to Afghanistan this summer.
"In the military they teach you to have your team operate even when you're not there," Betsy Nunez, the company's Creative Director, told us. "[Emily] will still be able to execute as a CEO from Afghanistan."
And thankfully the sisters' relationship is a tight one. "We're best friends. The only problem that's come up..." Betsy said, "is my not being accustomed to military meeting time - which typically means being thirty minutes early."
You can check out Sword and Plough at their site here. And it's still possible to score totes, messenger bags, and more from the Kickstarter page - get them while you can here.
Now go forth (and reuse).
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