Re(f)use

This eco-concept store is the brainchild of designer Ilaria Venturini Fendi whose Carmina Campus project produces accessories, furniture and design pieces all made from recycled, re-used and re-fashioned materials. The whimsical collection includes laptop sleeves made from airplane seats, purses embellished with mirrors saved from the inside of cars, and bags made with vintage fabrics and non-recyclable fabrics from end-of-line stocks from major Italian fashion houses.

Each piece is crafted by highly trained artisans. The designer has spearheaded projects with the U.N., working on one line in particular with artisans in Africa, but the staff at the Rome store points out that it is also important to note that most of the products are made by Italian craftspeople whose skills are in danger of dying out in light of cheap overseas productions.

Carmina Campus accessories are sold at such design-conscious stores as L’Eclaireur in Paris and Joyce in Hong Kong, but Re(f)use is the only free-standing store entirely dedicated to this wonderful project. It’s one of Rome’s most interesting—and worthwhile—boutiques.