• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • Forum
  • Design Studio
  • Upholstery Jobs
  • Newsletter
  • Sponsors

The Hog Ring

Auto Upholstery Community

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Boutiques Want Your Unwanted Car Fabrics

June 18, 2014 By Nadeem Muaddi

Auto Upholstery - The Hog Ring - Couch Guitar Strap

If large rolls of old, unwanted fabric are taking up valuable space in your auto upholstery shop, consider selling them to a boutique clothing and accessories manufacturer. Increasingly, these companies — which make everything from  jackets to purses out of automotive fabric — are turning to shops like ours for rare and discontinued materials.

Couch, for instance, is a California-based company that buys deadstock materials from auto upholstery shops and manufactures guitar straps out of them. Founder Dan Perkins recently explained his inspiration for the company to BBC Autos:

“It was hard to find good non-leather straps,” says Dan. “I thought about it and then found myself in custom auto shops. California is highly car-focused, so auto-related businesses dominate the industrial sections of almost any town.”

Dan soon found that seat coverings, distinctive trunk linings and even vinyl roof material, when stitched to a proper backing, made the perfect solution to his animal-friendly strap quest. “I began perusing old upholstery houses for their cast-off rolls of replacement vinyl.”

Couch production has only used properly stored original or faithful reproduction upholstery, not reclaimed and aged upholstery pulled out of wrecks. Junkyard diving to harvest the old stuff out of formerly glorious Cadillacs, Camaros and Mercedes-Benzes would never have yielded enough usable material. Plus, junkyard neglect makes decades-old vinyl brittle. [more]

Of course, not every company makes items out of unused materials. Some – like Platinum Dirt and Mari Cla Ro – base their entire gimmick on using upcycled fabrics taken from abandoned cars at salvage yards. In fact, jackets by Platinum Dirt come with a VIN plate embedded on the chest so you can actually trace the history of the car from which your jacket was made. While I’m sure the company only chooses the best of the best, I personally wouldn’t wear one. There’s something about paying $1,500 for a jacket made from a car seat someone spent the last 40 years farting into that doesn’t sit well with me — but hey, to each his own.

With companies like these popping up all over the Internet, there’s clearly a demand for rare and discontinued fabrics that bring little or no value to us. Why not take advantage of it by selling them your unwanted materials? A simple Google search turns up companies like Kim White Handbags and Wicked Purses that are worth reaching out to.

Or, if you have time, consider making your own guitar straps and wallets to sell on artisan websites like Etsy. You’d be surprised by how much people are paying for these things.

Filed Under: Archive, Upholstery Meets Fashion Tagged With: Auto Trim, Auto Upholstery, Car Interior, Couch, Kim White Handbags, Mari Cla Ro, Platinum Dirt, Wicked Purses

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. seymen says

    January 10, 2020 at 11:43 am

    we have leather scraps
    http://www.oldtimer-textiles.de

Primary Sidebar

anal porno bangbros rus porno yaşlı porno konulu porno olgun porno porno izle sarışın porno bakire sex 69 porno

THR Sponsors

NC Sewing Machines
Miami Corporation - Right Rail Ad 3
  • Hyde Leather
  • Albright's Supply
  • Leather Craft
  • Douglass Interior Products
  • Keyston Bros
  • OEM+ Banner Ad - The Hog Ring

THR Favorites

The Hog Ring - Learn Auto Upholstery With This New Book

Learn Auto Upholstery with this New Book

Whether you're a rookie or seasoned auto … [more] about Learn Auto Upholstery with this New Book

Auto Upholstery - The Hog Ring - 2011 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible

How to Install a Top on a 2011-2012 Camaro

In 2011, Chevrolet introduced the convertible … [more] about How to Install a Top on a 2011-2012 Camaro

Auto Upholstery - The Hog Ring - Stitches Fine Automotive Interiors

Junk in the Trunk: Don’t Hide It, Disguise It!

Upholstering a vehicle’s trunk can be … [more] about Junk in the Trunk: Don’t Hide It, Disguise It!

Building Brand Awareness for Your Shop

We’ve all been there before – standing … [more] about Building Brand Awareness for Your Shop

Auto Upholstery - The Hog Ring - Ish Jimenez - West Coast Customs

Talking Shop with Trimmer Ish Jimenez 2

In part one of our three-part interview … [more] about Talking Shop with Trimmer Ish Jimenez 2

Auto Upholstery - The Hog Ring - Door Panel Vinyl

Where to Find Mustang Door Panel Vinyl

Since its debut in 2005, the fifth-generation … [more] about Where to Find Mustang Door Panel Vinyl

Categories

Footer

Recent Articles

  • Running a Trim Shop is Hard. This Free SBA Tool Makes It Easier
  • Subaru Seat Bolsters Are Failing. Here’s How to Fix Them (and Make Money)
  • Support Trimmers Affected by Catastrophic Flooding in Texas
  • Mercedes Reimagines Comfort with Custom Fit, 3D Printed Seat Pads
  • Wishing You a Happy Independence Day!

Recent Comments

  • Edward Munday on Hidden Mouse Nest? How to Charge for the Extra Dirty Work
  • Jack on Keyston Bros. Acquires DLT Corporation
  • Brodie Smith on Aston Martin Just Introduced a New Convertible DB12
  • THE CAPTAIN on 6 Tips for Turning Callers into Customers
  • Dmei on Star Wars Seat Covers are ‘So Wizard’

Advertise With Us!

We're always looking for companies to collaborate with. Watch this short video about the benefits of sponsorship and then email us to say hi.

Copyright © 2025 · Magazine Pro On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in