Seattle upcycling retailer ALCHEMY GOODS got its start after founder Eli Reich's messenger bag was stolen: The avid cyclist stitched some spare bike tubes into a superior replacement. Then he made more. "One of the great things about inner tubes is that they're waterproof," he says. "They also develop a really nice patina, sort of like fine leather." And if your Mercer Laptop bag gets punctured during a roadside spill, just fix it with an inner tube patch. $168, alchemygoods.com