Shagbag | Finally, A Fashionable, Reusable Eco Bag!

Boho Mag, November 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Reusable Bag Designers Initiate Holiday Challenge with a Mission to Save 100,000 Paper and Plastic Bags from Maryland Landfills

The Challenge's kickoff is set to coincide with the opening of Shagbag's eco-chic showroom and gift studio during the Maryland Avenue Fall Festival in downtown Annapolis, MD.

ANNAPOLIS, MD September 9, 2008 - - Working to reduce plastic bag proliferation, Shagbag, LLC owners and reusable bag designers Alli Oliver and Stefanie DiBenedetto have initiated "The Refusabag Holiday Challenge" in hopes of making an immediate and meaningful impact by saving at least 100,000 disposable bags from local landfills. Shagbag's new showroom and studio, Shagbag & Co. will serve as the headquarters of the Refusabag campaign with a scheduled kickoff date of September 28, coinciding with the opening of the showroom.

The mission of this challenge is to prevent as many plastic and paper bags from hitting Maryland landfills by encouraging reusable bag use during the busy holiday shopping season. The environmental effects are quantifiable. The impact of just one person changing to reusable bags, let alone an entire community over a three-month period is significant. If just 2,000 of the 35,000 Annapolis residents alone, pledge to use a reusable bag between October and December, saving an average of 50 disposable store bags each, 100,000 fewer bags will end up in a nearby landfill. That's equal to 132 lbs. of gas, enough petroleum to drive 720 miles.

Supporters of the campaign will pledge at The Refusabag Holiday Challenge Kickoff, scheduled for September 28th during the Maryland Avenue Fall Festival, also the opening day of the Shagbag & Co. showroom and studio. Afterwards, eco-minded community members can pledge at participating stores and businesses, as well as online at the official website of the campaign: www.refusabag.com where merchants supporting in the challenge will be listed along with a weekly updated count of pledges.

Businesses may take part in the campaign by offering discounts or other incentives to consumers. The Annapolis Business Association purchased 2,000 custom Shagbags and merchant members will begin selling them this weekend to promote downtown shopping, greener living, and discounts for Shagbag toting shoppers. Some supporting stores are Diva, Bailey's, Mary and Blanche, Candles Off Main, and Paradigm.

Shagbag aims to inspire locally and globally. "Everyone can take simple, practical steps in their lives to conserve waste. This challenge is about taking action together and making a real, measurable difference in our community," says owner Stefanie DiBenedetto. "If every community can embrace a challenge like this, millions of bags will be kept out of landfills, oceans and our streets." The Shagbag duo plans to gather support from cities across the country for a nation-wide Refusabag Holiday Challenge in 2009.

The social and eco-conscious entrepreneurs are currently preparing for the opening of Shagbag & Co., designed as a meeting place for custom order clients, as well as a unique jewelry and handbag shop for boutique-loving shoppers. The showroom and gift studio will be amongst an eclectic group of merchants on the quaint Maryland Avenue in historic downtown Annapolis.

In keeping with their eco-friendly ethics, Shagbag & Co. will run on wind power, be painted with low-fume paint, as well as utilize recycled fixtures and props. The showroom will hold private and public events, such as Cupcake Fridays and Etiquette Classes for girls 11-14 years old. Car-free shopping discounts will be available to all shoppers biking, walking, driving by scooter, using the bus or otherwise arriving without a car or truck. Shoppers are encouraged to bring their own bag; Shagbag & Co. will not offer their patrons plastic and paper bags for purchases.

Shagbag, LLC debuted on the eco-fashion set in February of this year. In efforts to reduce waste, the partners aligned their very diverse backgrounds in fashion, marketing and manufacturing to design a portable reusable bag that s so stylish you would never consider discarding it. Every Shagbag comes in its own matching portable pouch, which doubles as the bag's packaging to save waste.

Having a Shagbag close at hand means reusability is more likely, easily saving the average person over 500 plastic and paper bags a year. Starting at $22, consumers of all ages and genres can afford to buy many styles for every application in life. Shagbag's target audience is women of all ages looking to make "green changes" in their daily routine, while maintaining their stylish look.

Shagbags are available nationwide and online on the Shagbag website.

About Shagbag, LLC:

The company was formed in late 2007, when partners Alli Oliver and Stefanie DiBenedetto made it their mission to refuse retailers bags. Not wanting to compromise their style, they found themselves longing for a reusable shopping bag as stylish as their outfits, yet easily portable so as not to forget. Four weeks later, Shagbag was born.

Media Contacts:

Alli Oliver

Tel. 301-461-8648

Stefanie DiBenedetto

Tel. 410-499-6090

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3/1/2008

In the Bag -- By Meredith Schwartz

Eco-conscious communities are starting to ban disposable shopping bags, and consumers are following suit.

New vendor Shagbag (conceived during the 2007 Christmas shopping season and launched in January) makes its bags out of Tyvek. But just because it is chemically created doesn't mean it can't be Green. Co-owner Stefanie DiBenedetto points out that the material is extremely durable as well as waterproof, so bags will last a long time. In addition, she says, "DuPont is a very environmentally aware company, and they have a whole part of their business that is dedicated to recycling the Tyvek.

The product that ShagBag uses for its totes can be melted down and turned into deck furniture. And Tyvek is extremely lightweight, so it takes less fuel to ship. We got 40 samples and the only weight of the box was the box, says DiBenedetto. We plan on shipping these in Tyvek envelopes and they're light as a feather, so you can imagine how much that will save on shipping.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

NEW LINE OF REUSABLE ECO-FRIENDLY BAGS EMERGE AS A SEX SYMBOL OF GLOBAL AWARENESS

Sophisticated Designs and Quality Finishes Turn the Every Day Bag into a Chic Accessory

ANNAPOLIS, MD March 11, 2008 - - Working to reduce plastic bag proliferation, social and eco-conscious entrepreneurs Alli Oliver and Stefanie DiBenedetto have aligned their very diverse backgrounds in fashion, marketing and manufacturing to design a reusable bag that's so trendy and stylish you would never consider discarding it. Shagbag, LLC (www.shopshagbags.com) offers a stylish solution and alternative for the eco-conscious woman, teen and man who are looking for an easy transition into a greener lifestyle.

Driven by local and global initiatives to reduce paper and plastic waste, consumers worldwide have demonstrated their desire to do their part by purchasing store brand grocery totes. However, these so-called reusable bags tend to be awkward, making them hard to carry, or stow for that matter, and because of this people simply forget to bring them on their future shopping excursions.

In the fast growing eco-bag industry, the Shagbag advantage lies in its well thought out design and ease of use.

High quality and attention to detail in the form of color, graphics, embroidery, and other embellishments on a Shagbag are designed to attract even the most discerning brand-conscious consumers. With a Shagbag, they can show the world they support global clean up, while using a fashionable brand that fits into their lifestyle and carries status.

A Shagbag!" encourages reuse with its unique lightweight fabric, which allows it to be crunched and or folded. It can be stowed for easy accessibility in a pocket, purse, gym bag, or it's very own matching pouch, which doubles as the bag's packaging to conserve waste. The Shagbag's innovative fabric is machine washable, weatherproof, tear-proof and gets softer with each use.

Shagbags are made of spun-bonded olefin, commonly known as Tyvek®, making them crunchable, foldable, lightweight, and printable, as well as easily recyclable. Tyvek® carries the number #2 recycling symbol, meaning the bags can be recycled at any facility throughout the world that recycles HDPE products.

Having a Shagbag!" close at hand means reusability is more likely, easily saving the average person over 500 plastic and paper bags a year. Starting at just $14, consumers of all ages and genres can afford to buy many styles for every application in life. From play dates to day trips, Shagbags appeal to every demographic; males and females, young and old because everyone carries something somewhere.

Shagbag, LLC (www.shopshagbags.com) created three divisions to meet the needs of retail, wholesale, and custom design clients. Their online store opens in mid April with a full-selection of bags available for purchase. You will also find Shagbags in stores nationwide and in Japan and Canada. Bulk pricing is available for wholesale and large custom orders.