About 5th Season:
At 5th Season, we aim to provide a service that benefits the environment and society as much as it benefits our customers.
Waste is a major problem in today’s ‘throw-away’ society. In United States, we throw away 75% more per person than we did two decades ago. Clothing and textiles alone generate 80 pounds of waste per person every year. In spite of recycling efforts, these numbers indicate that recycling alone cannot solve our problem of increasing waste.
At 5th Season, discarded clothing ad textiles are innovatively and artistically transformed into fashionable, 100% hand-crafted, one-of-a-kind bags. Through our bags, we hope to resonate the importance of reducing our consumption and waste by challenging each other to creatively look at consumer products beyond their original intended purposes. The name ’5th Season’ was chosen to signify that discarded material can enjoy yet another season – reincarnated, upcycled, and refashioned into something new and unique.
About Our Bags:
The bags are named after friends who have inspired the design or our first customers. Currently on sale are: Sam, Leah, Alice, Nathan, Stella, Alexa, Maggie, Ace and Tenille. Stay tuned for more designs to come!
We try to be as creative with the discarded material as possible. For the most part, denim, khaki or corduroy pants and burlap coffee sacks are used for the exterior, t-shirts, curtains, pants, for the inside liner, and throws or bedding as batting to give the bags more structure and durability. Pockets, buttons, waist bands and zippers of pants are saved and used in various ways.
We particularly enjoy the design of Alice with side pockets of khaki pants placed on either sides of the bag – the pockets are nice and deep to store all of your essentials and are easy to access.
About Akiko Oguchi:
The inspiration which became 5th Season began with Akiko’s childhood days of watching her parents find alternative uses for most everything. From sauce jars to foam egg crates, they found new uses for existing goods without having to consume more. This generated an awareness in Akiko early on about being resourceful and respectful of the surrounding environment.
Akiko learned the sewing talents of her mother and wood-working skills of her father. She began cultivating her own style. This carried on into her college years at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. It was here that Akiko developed a deep understanding of environmental issues and the desire to combat them.
One day, during this time, Akiko decided to make a yoga mat bag from a pair of pants that, sadly, no longer fit. Upon its completion, she realized creative designs could lead to creative solutions that benefit both the environment and the consumer!
By blending her experiences, education, and artistic talents, Akiko formed 5th Season to provide a useful product and do her part to live symbiotically with nature rather than simply “sustaining” on the planet.
