Used Rubber USA began in 1984 when owner & designer Mandana MacPherson was a student at Brown University. After spilling a bottle of ink in her leather backpack, she set out on a quest to make a bag impervious to stains and spills. While the initial prototypes and products she created with a classmate were inspired by the study of the Found Object art movement, Mandana quickly became aware of the powerful and positive environmental impact of her work. To manufacture quality products in an environmentally sound fashion has been her goal ever since.       From 1984 to 1989 Used Rubber USA styles were available in the Northeastern U.S. and England. From 1989 to 2001, Used Rubber USA operated its own store in San Francisco, California. That store (along with stores in Taos from 1995-96 and Berkeley from 1996-99) received thousands of visitors each year from all over the world who were pleased and inspired by Mandana's work. Over the years our line has expanded. In addition to the original riveted inner tube bags, sewn items such as wallets, cases, and card holders were added in 1995. On April 29, 2001, after 12 years in that location, we closed our retail store on Haight Street in San Francisco with feelings of pride and accomplishment. With the help of our loyal customers, we did a lot of good work in our stores, a lot of recycling, a lot of education. We look forward to continuing to do these things, and many more, as our company continues here in its incarnation on the web and through its educational outreach efforts. Closing our SF retail store was a forward moving change for all of us involved with Used Rubber. The owner made a conscious choice to simplify the business in order to spend more time with her toddler and attend graduate school and expand her teaching. With over 15 years of recycling and design behind her, Mandana recognized that designing materials that would educate future designers and build awareness in the public, was equally as important as designing eco aware products. The rest of our wonderful staff, a number of artists and entrepreneurs, who had worked at the store for years, went on to transfer their good energy to the pursuit of their own projects. In 2003, Mandana created an inaugural sustainable design class for Stanford University’s Mechanical Engineering Department's Design Division while finishing up her MFA there. She continued on as adjunct faculty at Stanford and California College of the Arts in San Francisco (where she created a class in 2005), teaching and advising on Ecological Design curriculum until 2007. Over the years, she has brought her passion for ecological design to a number of other schools and organizations, such as The Natural Step (an international sustainability think tank), creating and implementing tools and curriculum and speaking on panels and at conferences about Used Rubber and other sustainability issues. Today Mandana balances her own design work and running Used Rubber USA, with teaching sustainable fashion through the Academy of Art in San Francisco, consulting and writing about sustainability issues, and designing curriculum. In the fall of 2006 the business went through yet another big change. After nearly 20 years in San Francisco, we moved our main office to the coast of Maine, although we continue to do part of our manufacturing in California (between our studio in Mount Shasta and our sewing contractor in San Francisco). One thing will remain the same though - our products will continue to be made locally in the U.S. with the same care and concern that has always defined our work. Used Rubber USA has been instrumental in inspiring a new generation of designers, artisans and craftspeople through the way we think about materials. We value evolutionary design, but never want our business to outgrow or stray from the principles it was founded upon. We are continually exploring new ventures and adventures. We hope that you will wish us all luck with our changes and continue to support Used Rubber USA by shopping here on our web site and passing the word to others!    Questions about our store? Contact us!