Hello and welcome (back) to the Planet Forward blog for an eco-friendly fashionista craft Friday. Fashion week in New York City has concluded and Donna Karan’s spring 2012 line was a hit with her tribal inspired collection which featured gorgeous layered leather necklaces. Did you know that you could easily craft a necklace inspired by Donna karan’s line yourself using items you may have around the house? Yes, you can be fashionable, crafty, and eco-friendly. So pull out those old leather or pleather skirts, pants, jackets, or even cuffs and repurpose them into something that will be the envy of any fashionista. This fashion forward craft came from Erica Domesek, creator and founder of website P.S. I made this… which inspires and encourages everyone to embrace Erica’s creative motto: “I see it. I like it. I make it.“ Stop by and have a look – it’s a fantastic site if you appreciate a (very creative and talented) DIY spirit. Now let’s make this necklace.

Donna Karan Tribal Necklace image courtesy of realbeauty.com

What You Need:

• Leather or pleather
• A piece of cord
• Sharp scissors
• Glue gun

Directions:

1. Cut strips of fabric, no pattern just free form strips of any length you like.
2. On matt the side three-quarters of the way down put a dab of glue.
3. Fold the top over so it is adheres to the glue. This creates a loop at the top of the piece of fabric.
4. String on the cord.

When making this craft you can place as many pieces of leather on the necklace as you like so it can be very full or sparse. Tailor it to your own individual style. If you have two different colors or textures of leather or pleather mix and match to create visual interest. For a layered look (like DKNY) make two necklaces, one on a shorter cord than the other and wear them together. This will give you a look that is more reflective of Donna Karan’s actual spring collection.

The necklace is a great way to repurpose old clothing – you could probably even use a mismatched leather or faux leather glove. In the end this is an interesting, new look and a great piece of statement jewelry. Another piece in the Donna Karan collection was a bracelet that matched the necklace. These pieces were not worn together as it would be over the top. To make the bracelet use the same method but on a shorter cord and the piece of leather would also not be as long.

This is the ideal craft as it allows you to be runway ready on a budget while still being eco-friendly. If you make it, let us know in the comments how it worked out for you.
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