Inner Tube Repurposing -- Now Giving Leather A Run For Its Money!

This is what the inner tube of a car tire looks like...

and this is its energy-saving cousin, a bicycle inner tube.

I've been noticing that both humble materials have been receiving a lot more time in the spotlight these days, thanks to the creative inspiration of quite a few designers.

Recent Parson's School Of Design graduate Rachel Ford created these shoes -- which are a dead ringer for leather -- using tire inner tube rubber as the main ingredient.

Israeli designer Nil Ohayon created these Recycoool furniture pieces by inflating car inner tubes around metal tube framework.

Zuss fashions a wide range of funky handcrafted bags using bicycle inner tubes, and not surprisingly, many of the designs were sold out when I last checked.

You'd be amazed at how many ways inner tubes can be reborn -- belts are just one of many incarnations...

Have you seen any interesting pieces made with this versatile material or do you own any yourself? How different are they from leather?