Mosquito Nets Save Lives and Live On

In partnership with the UN, the Nothing But Nets Campaign is working to spread the buzz and Roll Back Malaria in the most affected parts of the world.  Through the efforts of their campaign, Nothing But Nets has sent over 7 million mosquito nets to those who need them.  There’s a pretty cool map on their website that shows where their nets have been sent in Africa and those in the process of being sent.  To learn more about the fight against Malaria and what you can do, click here to check out the Nothing But Net blog.

As you can imagine, the mosquito nets must be in pristine condition for them to work properly.  Campaigns like Nothing But Nets make sure the nets go directly from the factory to a country, to a village and finally to a family who needs them so that they are in perfect condition.

So, you might wonder, what happens to the nets once they have been used and ultimately end up with holes or to the nets that don’t pass inspection as fit to keep out mosquitos?

Well, in the spirit of eco-fashion, a company called Five Accessories in partnership with Smateria has given new life to old mosquito nets.  As you can see from the picture above of the boy surrounded by the blue net, the nets are not always white, in fact they are often colorful.  Smateria cleans the nets and repurposes them into fashion-forward bags and wallets of all sizes.

All of the mosquito net bags are sturdy, yet trendy; functional, yet fashionable.  They are truly eco-fashion at its best.  In honor of World Malaria Day, and in celebration of giving things new life, our selection of mosquito net bags will be 15%off online and in our stores.

Other interesting links for World Malaria Day 2013:

• Watch the trailer for the HBO movie Mary and Martha (which aired last Saturday, the 20th) about two women who connect over their struggle with Malaria and their work to prevent it.
• Are you an NBA fan?  A Warriors fan?  If you are, check out this video Stephen Curry did for Nothing But Nets to promote his involvement – he gave 3 nets for every 3-pointer he made and he had a record season with 272 3-pointers!  We’re a fan!