Vancouver sustainable bags brand Atacz (pronounced ay-tacks) was born from scraps. Gigi Wong, Atacz’s co-founder and head of product design, found inspiration while visiting a knitting factory in China. She noticed piles of discarded yarn strewn across the floor and thought, “Okay, we have to do something for this material.”
Although Atacz doesn’t yet use these castoffs, its products are knit at the same factory using a different recycled material: PET bottles. One to three plastic bottles’ worth of recycled polyester goes into making each bag or strap. Since its online launch in 2023, Atacz has repurposed over 15,750 PET bottles into functional fashion.
Two and a half years later, Atacz has opened its first storefront. The choice of Richmond Centre for the inaugural location was itself, in part, to avoid waste. Atacz sought a space where it could keep as many of the existing fixtures as possible. Wong points out the original tile floor and the sliding wooden walls: “We didn’t want to tear a lot of things [out],” she explains. “We just tried to add on.”
To create the storefront, Atacz partnered with Cutler, the Vancouver-based commercial architecture and interior design firm. “They did a very good job,” Wong says. Cutler worked with the existing space, while adding bold pops of orange throughout (as well as colour-drenching the façade). For displays and furnishings, the design firm chose natural and recyclable materials such as plywood and metals. Wong also highlights the bench cushions made of reconstituted foam and pats a soft, blue tabletop: “This is recycled denim.”
An in-store display shows the process of breaking down plastic bottles, removing harmful chemicals, and reshaping the plastic into yarn. This is Repreve, the main material used to manufacture Atacz products. Wong chose Repreve because it is exclusively made from postconsumer waste materials. Plus, it is lightweight and “splash friendly,” she says: “Perfect for Vancouver weather.”
The Atacz product line has expanded since the launch to include other innovative, recycled materials. Earlier this year, Wong attended Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, where she found both Proof Plus Eco and Paneco. Proof Plus Eco is another yarn made from recycled plastic bottles but featuring brighter colours and higher water resistance than Repreve. Atacz has already spun Proof Plus Eco into vibrant tote bags and backpacks. And Paneco is a compressed, recycled-textile board, with layered, multicoloured fibres that resemble Jackson Pollock paintings. These boards have now become die-cut letter keychains.
Atacz’s bestselling product was also its first: the Twist bag, offered in a variety of sizes and colours. Twist is a drawstring bag knitted in a “3D diamond” pattern. It evokes delicate, Regency-era reticules, cited as the forebear of the modern handbag. But rather than being soft and dainty like their predecessors, Twist bags are sporty and structured. Inspired by origami, Wong developed the Twist prototype by folding paper models, a design process that took a full year. Neither Wong nor the knitting factory had manufactured handbags before.
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All the company’s products are designed to be “evergreen,” Wong says. But Atacz does release seasonal collections. The latest is Rift: an “outdoorsy collection” in a twill pattern. Another recent collection was inspired by a book on “colour astrology.” Birthday Twist bags, in 12 Pantone colours, represent each month of the year. (For Leos, August is Sun Orange, Pantone 16-1257.) The labels are also unique to each month, with a themed artwork by Ukrainian illustrator Marharyta Myronenko.
While local artists are at the top of the list, the criterion for future collaborations is broad: “anyone could be possible.” In September, Atacz will launch its first collaboration with an intellectual property: the cartoon rabbit Miffy. To bring its products to more potential customers, Atacz has also partnered with local retailers Holt Renfrew and the Little Mountain Shop pop-up on Granville Island.
“Our name comes from the word attached,” Wong explains, referring to both the community and the planet. And it suits the products: Atacz bags are designed to be versatile, with multiple D-rings for optional attachments. Atacz offers accessories and adjustable straps in varied colours and patterns that bag owners can use to keep “refreshing their style.” “We’re trying to make a life-cycle product,” Wong says, that people “can use for at least 10 years.”
Beyond creating eco-friendly and cruelty-free products, Atacz’s ultimate goal is to reduce plastic waste and protect our oceans. Atacz is a member of 1% for the Planet, which certifies that it donates at least 1 per cent of annual profits to environmental organizations.
Wong is always searching for innovative materials to incorporate into her designs. She hopes to use recycled fishnets in future products, and “I also want to try to find a new material for all the buckles,” she says—plus, she is still interested in pursuing her original idea to use the knitting factory’s leftover yarn. While Atacz’s current product lineup uses 80 per cent recycled and biodegradable materials (including biodegradable TPU labels), Wong wants to push that to 100 percent: “This is the mission.”
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