A woman being interviewed by another woman for BBC Radio Solent inside a workshop in Southsea

As Featured on BBC

Louise Lea of Trash Panda Jewellery was recently featured on BBC Radio Solent discussing sustainable jewellery design and the creative reuse of reclaimed inflatable PVC. Lou demonstrated how she transforms reclaimed materials (including discarded inflatables and bouncy castle PVC) into bold, wearable statement jewellery.

The feature explored sustainable jewellery design, creative reuse, and how everyday waste can become something unexpected and beautiful.

The Trash Panda Story

Who is Louise Lea?

Lou Lea is the founder of Trash Panda Jewellery, an independent sustainable jewellery brand based in Portsmouth.

Lou is a self-taught jewellery maker, building her skills through curiosity, experimentation and careful research. Her work proves that you don’t need formal qualifications to create responsibly — you need respect for materials, attention to safety, a creative (and somewhat chaotic! mind and a willingness to learn.

Working from her distinctive garden studio in Southsea, Louise creates jewellery from:

  • Reclaimed plastic waste

  • Discarded inflatables and PVC

  • Factory offcuts

  • Broken and pre-loved jewellery

  • Sofa industry leather remnants

  • Textile samples and unexpected finds

The studio is eclectic – with everything from vintage silk ties neatly arranged in a filing cabinet to merchant navy navigation maps – but every material has a place and a future purpose.

A white woman with pink hair and a yellow hat poses for the camera in her workshop. The walls are pink and tools are hanging up. Trash Panda founder creating sustainable jewellery from reclaimed materials in the UK

Being interviewed by BBC Radio Solent

During the BBC interview, Louise demonstrated how jewellery can be created from reclaimed inflatable materials – including swim rings and bouncy castle PVC.

At first glance, these materials seem unlikely candidates for jewellery. But when carefully cleaned, cut and reworked, they can become sculptural statement necklaces and lightweight earrings, with bold geometric shapes and textured layered designs. And of course, bags of colour!

This process is not about novelty, it’s about possibility. Once you begin to see the creative potential in waste materials, it becomes difficult to ignore how much could be reused rather than discarded.

Other jewellery made from inflatables

As well as the statement festival necklace made on air, the Trash Panda shop is home to fun heart-shaped earrings and quirky brooches.

A woman sat at a desk at a studio making jewellery. She is holding a necklace that's made from waste inflatables
Geometric upcycled brooch with grey leather base and neon inflatable accents in red and yellow, displayed on Trash Panda backing card, held by a hand

Why reusing materials matters

PVC and inflatable plastics are durable, colourful and designed to withstand wear. Yet many are discarded after minor damage.

By reimagining these materials into jewellery:

  • Waste is diverted from landfill

  • Existing resources are reused rather than replaced

  • Unique colour combinations emerge organically

  • Each piece becomes one-of-a-kind

Working with reclaimed materials also challenges conventional ideas of what “precious” means. Value isn’t just in gold or silver; it’s in transformation.

The creative process – from waste to wearable

Lou’s waste PVC comes from a fantastic company on the Isle of Wight called Inflatable Amnesty. They have been working with this material for many years and are pioneers in the upcycling game. Once they have used what they can for bags, rucksacks and make up pouches they give the smaller remnants to Trash Panda for jewellery and accessories.

Behind the scenes

The BBC feature captured:

  • Looking through boxes of waste materials – from metal bottle caps to roller blind samples

  • Cutting and shaping reclaimed inflatables

  • Selecting colour combinations that pop

  • The workshop environment

  • The organised creative chaos of making

Working with waste materials means embracing variation. It’s not a sterile production line, it’s adaptive, hands-on design. Trash Panda Jewellery exists to prove that sustainability and bold design are not opposites.

Each piece is handcrafted in Portsmouth and made to be worn — not just admired.

If you’d like to explore more:

For media enquiries or collaborations, please get in touch via the contact page.