Case study #3 – Opera House

Sydney Opera House and Recolab team up for style with substance

In 2023, the Sydney Opera House collaborated with Recolab designer Lyn Hellewell to create an exclusive range of limited-edition eco-friendly bags to celebrate the landmark’s 50th anniversary.

Recolab (Repurposed Eco-friendly Collaborative Laboratory) saves textiles from landfill and turns them into stylish, functional pieces. Materials are as diverse as boat sails, billboard vinyl, street banners and even tyre innertubes.

The Sydney Opera House asked Recolab to reuse and reimagine the materials from the Joan Sutherland Theatre renewal project. Accessories including totes and clutches were made of red upholstery seating from the theatre and old promotional banners.

For Lyn, it was a thrilling yet nerve-racking process to work with the original seat covers.

“There was a lot of pressure to get it right,” she said, reflecting on cutting into the very limited and historic fabric.

The Joan Sutherland bags sold out within a week. Following its success, a second line of bags using seat upholstery from the Concert Hall was created and sold out within 4 days.

The Opera House collaboration with Recolab is a celebration of circularity – a practice that repurposes resources and minimizes waste - with all profits from the sales of the bags going back into supporting the Sydney Opera House Trust and its sustainability and preservation efforts.