Behind the tarp
A question we’re often asked is: “Where do you get the tarpaulin from?”
We wouldn’t have to kill you if we told you, but every good brand is entitled to its secrets. So whilst we won’t disclose exactly where we salvage it from, we will share with you the story behind the tarp.
We discover the lorry tarpaulins that make our bags in all kinds of bizarre places. Abandoned in the corners of filthy workshops, sandwiched between buildings or cast to the side of the road. Where we find them varies – the situation we find them in doesn’t.
They’re neglected. They’re pulled down from the sides of lorries in favour of shinier new ones and dumped. Still, one lorry man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
Greasy tarpaulin doesn’t become a backpack overnight, but watching each bag go through its metamorphosis is still every bit as rewarding today as it was when the company was first started. Anybody that’s ever created a product from recycled materials will know the sense of fulfilment it gives you.
Breathing life back into materials is a wonderful thing. Sure, our backpacks won’t reverse climate change, but making a discarded old sheet into an essential everyday item can only ever be a good thing. M-24 wasn’t created by an eco-warrior. It was never intended to reduce landfill.
Mat – M-24’s Founder – saw a sturdy fabric disused far before the end of its natural lifetime. He knew he could give it a new purpose and at the same time solve a problem for people. So that’s exactly what he did.
Credit Max White
