Amtrak leather train seats make $435 luxury bag

Leather has an exceptionally long lifetime. Just go visit a historical museum and you may find all sorts of old leather products, still in a pristine state. This is the thought that inspired Amtrak, the North American railway company, to partner up with People for Urban Progress for a surprising recycling project for a total of 6,080 train seats.

After serving commuters, travellers and day-trippers for years, Amtrak was retiring 20 faithful Acela Express train cars. The seating material was still in such a good state, that the company decided to embark on an ambitious upcycling project with the Indianapolis based non-profit People for Urban Progress to create 2,500 pieces of first-class bags, giving the seating a second run at life. 

Why create something new if there is a material available that is still good? That’s the thought behind the initiative that has been going since late 2018, but it also showed the surprising resilience of leather as a seating material. Not just for luxurious car interiors, but also in public transport as a material that lasts and can endure the most intense use, staining, soiling and damaging. The bags, we think, look fantastic.

Read the full article HERE.