Soda can design has translated to gutters, sidewalks and beaches strewn with pull tabs - until now.

Pull-tabs from everyday aluminum cans are a greener update on the metallic trend in handbags. It takes a few hundred pops of a soda can to create each bag in this line, handmade in Brazil by women's cooperatives.

While I generally have an aversion to designs that are blatantly "recycled" or crafty, the aluminum tabs in this bag don't give themselves away - they glamorously masquerade as a brilliant new take on the retro-sequin look. The nature of aluminum creates a lightweight bag, and the 100% hand-crocheted lining adds security for the loose change and lucky charms that end up filling our totes.

Based on the stunning designs that Escama has come up with, the triumph of the pull-tab is poised to become a true sub-genre of eco-fashion. An item so thoughtlessly discarded has now been thoughtfully restyled into something 100% recycled, sustainable and legitimately funky. Purchase at Ecoist for $92 or visit Escama to see examples of this growing trend.

Image: Ecoist