Not all materials are recyclable. Almost every composite-material ends up in landfills because it’s too difficult to recycle. And one of those materials is a fire hose. But now comes the fun part. Fire hoses are great for upcycling. And if you like bags, you should be interested in fire hose bags.

A heroic history

There are a couple of designers that upcycle this sturdy but beautiful object into fire hose bags and other items. And one of them is EVERSOM Dutch Fire Hose Design.

She takes these fire hoses that have been used in the Netherlands for many years by the Rotterdam Fire Department to battle the fires. All the hoses feature wear and tear spots that tell their life story. The hoses are written off after 10 years. However, as I said before, they are so robust that they are difficult to break down and recycle. So after they’ve served their purpose they have no function anymore and end up as just waste.

For one a residual product, for the other a golden find. And that’s where EVERSOM comes in. Now the second life of this decommissioned fire hose is about to start. Time for a new chapter in a heroic history.

Craftsmanship

The creation and production process is a labor-intensive process. The hoses are sorted and washed, pattern parts cut out of the hoses and the individual parts are sewn together. All parts are processed according to traditional methods. All in all a process that requires real craftsmanship, whereby every product has surprisingly different details.

Major sources of inspiration

The creative force behind EVERSOM is founder Ilse Evers, a true artisan woman. She sees the power and possibilities of a material and makes it visible to others. She combines this love for craftsmanship with her experience in the theater world. After her training at the dance academy in Tilburg she made and played many location performances for festivals such as Oerol, where she learned to be inventive, think different and search for hidden stories. She also developed her material knowledge and insatiable urge to create.

Robust and fashionable

When she stumbled upon a bunch of decommissioned fire hoses from Rotterdam firefighters, she saw the possibilities of this material. It resembles extremely strong saddle leather and it also has its unique structure and appearance, which requires a new perspective on designing an object. Robust and fashionable at the same time. Architecture, minimalism and Japanese folding are major sources of inspiration. To subsequently be able to process the material, Ilse develops her own set of tools. She does this by looking at the world of traditional leather processing.

This whole thing of upcycling fire hoses is done from an urge to turn known materials and objects into different ones with new possibilities. In this way, the end product is provided with a great story and a higher value. In addition to her products, Ilse also often works on commission. Custom made bags that are developed together with the customer.

Design by EVERSOM Dutch Fire Hose Design