By Kimberley Mok / Source: TreeHugger

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While men’s fashions aren’t as changeable as women’s throughout the seasons, one can still find plenty of old, fuddy-duddy guys’ items in thrift stores, moldering sadly away. Vintage men’s silk ties are one example we’ve seen skillfully repurposed into new, fashionable accessories, and now we’re seeing that it can be done too with vintage mens’ business suits that would otherwise lay forgotten. Based out of of Kewaunee, Wisconsin, Etsy entrepreneur Terry Lischka of hunts for beautiful suit fabrics, transforming them into hats, bags, purses and cellphone and laptop cases with a classic, urban twist.

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Lischka’s collection of handmade accessories and bags — named “Finnigan” after her grandson Finn — came about in 2009 as a way to revamp old fabrics and her life; as a creative outlet to invest energy in, after having two grown children out of the house, and a government job she didn’t find challenging. She was looking for something unique to start with on Etsy, and noticed that at fairs, her purses made out of suits always sold quickly. Lischka finally took the plunge in 2013 and quit her day job, saying:

I now invest all of my time growing my business and creating all the product ideas I hadn’t yet had time to develop. My business isn’t just about re-purposing inanimate objects; it’s also about re-purposing my life.

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