DETROIT – A former Detroit teacher launched a nonprofit that washes used potato chip bags and turns them into sustainable gear.
Eradajere Oleita launched the Chip Bag Project in 2020 to turn the bags into things like warm, waterproof sleeping bags. The sleeping bags are donated to mutual aid organizations that help the unhoused.
It takes about 180 chip bags to create a single sleeping bag and everything they use is completely upcycled. The initiative has taken on a cult-like following and now Chip Bag Project is branching out with a “Trashion show.”
Chip Bag Project is hosting its first ever Trashion show on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, at Eastern Market After Dark. The project is not currently accepting donations of used chip bags.