Towards the end of 2019, Duong came across a pile of jeans in her house that were still in good condition but no longer in style. She had the brilliant idea of repurposing them into unique and useful handbags.

When Duong shared pictures of her denim handbags on social media, they immediately caught the attention of many people who were interested in purchasing them.

As a result, Duong began designing one-of-a-kind bags made from discarded jeans.

She started by buying jeans from second-hand stores, but soon enough, people started bringing their old jeans to her, requesting her to transform them into stylish handbags.

Two backpacks made of discarded jeans. Photo: N.V. / Tuoi Tre
Two backpacks made of discarded jeans. Photo: N.V. / Tuoi Tre

Duong explained that her work not only allows her to create useful products from jeans, but also brings economic benefits and contributes to environmental conservation.

Starting with simple handbags, Duong gradually refined her designs, incorporating better shapes and intricate details.

Her collection of handbags is extensive, ranging from backpacks and cross-body bags to bucket backpacks, bucket bags, oval bags, square bags, and round bags, among others.

To create her handbags, Duong relied on the knowledge gained from a short design course, internet research, as well as her own creativity and resourcefulness.

Many young people are keen on Duong’s products. Photo: N.V. / Tuoi Tre
Many young people are keen on Duong’s products. Photo: N.V. / Tuoi Tre

Duong considers denim as a fascinating material due to its combination of ruggedness and softness. Its thickness and durability make it an ideal material for creating handbags.

Each pair of jeans has unique details that can be repurposed as decorative elements for the handbags.

Initially, Duong faced challenges in selecting suitable decorative details. She had to order them from different parts of the country to carry out testing.

Thanks to social media, Duong’s handbags have reached Vietnamese communities overseas. Over the past four years, she has sold more than 5,000 of her handcrafted creations.

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