A Christchurch couple living in New York are attracting international interest in their bags made of the city's old advertising billboards.
Husband and wife team Ben Nicholl and Danelle Le Cren wanted to create a business opportunity by recycling an otherwise unwanted item.
The pair cooked up the idea of using billboards
while sitting in a Manhattan bar in December 2002 after realising the answer was literally all around them.
They made some sample bags from the Big Apple's billboards and then found a manufacturer to help improve the product's quality.
Donkey New York's first sales were made at a SoHo street market but they have since gone online and sold to people around the world.
The couple are selective about which billboards they transform into fashion.
"Obviously we look at the colours and what it advertises when we choose billboards," Nicholl said.
Some materials were more suitable than others for the products they had designed.
"Unfortunately we are yet to cut up a celebrity."
They have used television and movie advertisements as well as billboards plugging phones, cars and beer and have been approached by companies keen to continue marketing to clients.
"These billboards sometimes have people on them so we get the occasional bag made from different body parts," Nicholl said.
Still in its infancy, their company has featured in an Italian newspaper and has been approached by a Canadian television channel keen to film a piece for broadcast on an award-winning news show.
Being new to the market does not stop the pair from having clear goals. In the short term they aim to add to their product range.
Said Le Cren: "We would eventually like to take other base products that would otherwise be discarded and turn these into useful items where each item is as individual as its owner."
- NZPA
Donkey NY
