Remade USA is a custom service that repurposes individual vintage leather jackets into new one-of-a-kind handbags, through redesign and reconstruction. Remade USA is based in Brooklyn, NYC.
Founder/Designer
Shannon South is a multidisciplinary designer who, in 2008 had a flash of inspiration after a realization that we have too much stuff. A product designer by training and a minimalist at heart. She had never been a big consumer and found herself only hanging on to things that had meaning for her. Shannon had a vintage leather jacket that she hadn't worn in ages. She also had an obsession with handbags - making and designing them.
Remade USA was born out as an experiment with an old jacket. She loved the result and many others did too. Soon after, Shannon was combing every thrift store in San Francisco looking for jackets that had nice leather and interesting details. Within a month of launching her website, she'd been written up by Daily Candy and had an order from Barney's New York.
Over time, more and more people began requesting that she repurpose their personal jacket into a bag. Her repurposing service has become so successful that she has decided to dedicate Remade USA to the service.
If you have an old leather jacket you can't bear to throw away, but haven't used in years, let's talk...
Send me your story.
*If you are interested in a finished bag, please visit our other division, Shannon South, a collection of bags made from remnant leather from the furniture industry.
If your interest is piqued and you have a jacket you'd like to have reconstructed, here is what you'll need to do:
Have a look through our designs and pick your favorite styles that you think might work well with your jacket.
Send us an email with a photo of your jacket and your favorite bag styles. We'll get back to you and let you know which style we think will work best. You may also come visit our studio for a consultation if you are in the NYC area.
Box your jacket up and send it to us with your contact info, as well as payment for the total amount (shipping within the US is included), either through PayPal or a personal check.
Once we receive your jacket and payment, it will take 2-4 weeks to make your one-of-a-kind bag. We will ship it to you insured and with tracking through the U.S. Postal Service.
"My aunt was a DJ at KSJO in the 80s. I'd like to make her old leather jacket into an Ashbury for my sister for Christmas."
-Kevin B.
"I was tearing up when my brother gave me the "Sleeping Bag Records" purse. I was named after my Aunt, who died when I was seven, and her love of music was a special part of our relationship. I've had this jacket in the closet for years and am overjoyed at how amazing the bag is and at the daily reminder I will have of her. Thank you. Best Christmas present ever."
-his sister
"In 1984, my cousin, while traveling with the state department's office of security, was in Rome on a temporary assignment. She looked for a leather jacket in the latest Italian style and purchased it for herself. In the late 80's, she gave it to me, a stay-at-home-mom. I was thrilled.
Even though it has been out of style for years, I loved the color and feel of the leather. And every year, I offered it to my daughter, who politely declined. This year she suggested that we recycle it into a handbag, which I wanted her to keep. The 80s oversized fashion fad meant that there was even enough leather left over for cosmetic cases for both my cousin and myself. I'm delighted that this jacket has a new home with all three of us. Once again, I'm thrilled! Thank you, Shannon."
- Kathryn O.
"The long burgundy coat was my first purchase when I moved to New York City to go to school at Columbia and I loved the color of the leather. Since I had come from Northern California, I had zero understanding of real seasons or real cold or snow so that coat turned out, worn over hoodies, to be my only foul weather gear for a few years--totally insufficient, but very well-loved. So even after I discovered real coats and stopped wearing it (and stopped suffering), I couldn't bring myself to get rid of it. It's traveled around with me to the million and one apartments I've lived at in Manhattan and Brooklyn for 20 years and now I'll finally be able to wear it again without freezing to death."
- Shonquis M.
This beautiful brown lamb skin jacket belonged to the customer's grandfather and she has memories of him wearing it often. He also used to wear bow ties. She commissioned us to make the bag for herself and three bow tie necklaces for her and her two sisters.
- Nicole S.
"My husband bought this jacket on a trip to San Francisco in 1994. We were friends in high school and reconnected at our five year high school reunion later that same year. We started dating long distance shortly thereafter. (he was in Boston, I was in Philadelphia) I will always remember him standing on the train platform at South Station, waiting for me to arrive in Bostonfor my first visit, wearing this really cool jacket. While he hasn't worn the jacket in many years, I refused to let him get rid of it. Now because of Remade USA, an old jacket that hung in the back of a clost collecting dust became a gorgeous handbag! Every time I use it, I will be reminded of that special time in our lives. Thank you so much!"
- Samantha M.
"I can't begin to tell you how much the bags you made from my brother's coat mean to me. Mark and I were 18 months apart in age and he has been "gone" since he was 25 years old. That was 32 years ago and I have had his coat ever since. It never fit and/or appealed to any of my children so it has just been moved from attic to closet and back again for all these years. The hobo and clutch are beautiful works of art. My daughter, who never met her uncle, will be touched beyond belief to have something of his - repurposed in a way that suits a 23 year old woman. Thank you so much for your artistry and caring."
- Ellen S.
This jacket was brought to me by a woman in San Francisco and it was the first commissioned transformation I ever did. The jacket belonged to her father who wore it in the peace corps. The jacket held considerable meaning for her, but she had no practical use for it... until now. She was very happy.
*Sadly, I didn't think to take a before picture.
"I'm speechless...if the photos are any indication, the bag's simple and elegant design are exactly what I wanted......the overall style far surpasses anything I could have imagined you could create...
This jacket was my first "real" clothing purchase when I lived in Europe as a student many many years ago!"
-Karen L.
"I'd never buy a fur coat; I've always felt strongly about not killing animals for their fur or their fins or their tusks, etc., but my mom inherited a slightly creepy, almost dismembered fur coat from a great-aunt long ago and because animals were killed for it and it came from family, we couldn't bring ourselves to cast it off so somehow I became the guilty keeper of those scraps. My mother always said, waste not want not, and I believe it more and more, so now by giving the pieces new life and a new purpose I hope I can honor, if not give back, the lives that were taken."
-Shonquis M.
"I have so many memories from my college days when I used to wear this bomber jacket all the time."
-Christine H.
"This blue jacket has been hanging in my closet since the early 90's... waiting for the day it would come back in style... I finally gave up. Thank you!"
-Michelle S.
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Schedule an appointment to come by our Brooklyn studio or send us an email with a photo of your jacket and the bag styles you like.
Please contact us if you are interested in an internship with our studio. We'd love to meet you!
63 Flushing Avenue, Unit 168
Bldg 131, Suite 3R
Brooklyn NY 11205
*by appointment only
hello@remadeusa.com
+1 646 731 9497
© 2103 Shannon South Design, Inc. All Rights Reserved.