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What to do with kites that have come to the end of their flying days? Rather than see them all go into landfill, Harlem Kitesurfing have come up with a solution to ensure that, for some kites at least, the adventure continues. And it involves a talented rider’s equally talented mum…
Every kite starts with an idea, a shape, a vision. It’s tested, tweaked, pushed through wild winds and high-pressure moments. It carries world-class athletes to podiums, through storms, beyond limits. And when it’s done flying? Its journey doesn’t need to be over.
The Harlem Upcycled Collection gives retired prototypes a new purpose. Instead of ending up in landfill, old prototype kites – including Harlem’s Project Peak prototypes ridden by Lorenzo Casati and Clément Huot at King of the Air 2024, and flown by Aaron Hadlow, Leonardo Casati, Baptiste Bourdoulous, Lana Herman and Scott Barendsen around the world – are transformed into one-of-a-kind everyday companions.
The person behind this transformation? Louise Hadlow – yes, the G.O.A.T. Aaron Hadlow’s mum. “I got into recycling kites because we had a lot of old prototypes, broken kites that needed something doing to,” Louise explains. “We were going to move house and we didn’t really want to send them to landfill. So we came up with the idea of making them into beach bags, and that’s how it got started, really.”
What began as a practical solution quickly evolved into something much bigger.
Harlem has long focused on sustainability – from using recycled and recyclable materials, to low-impact manufacturing, digital eco-print, and mindful logistics. The Upcycled project takes that philosophy one step further.
These are not just recycled materials. They are high-performance kites that have already lived extraordinary lives. When Louise was approached to collaborate, the impact of the idea resonated immediately. “Harlem reached out and started talking about a recycling project they had coming through. I was absolutely blown away,” she says. “They’ve got really good sustainable products, and to start recycling them a second time into bags is just brilliant for the planet.”
Each piece is handcrafted. Each panel cut with care. Each stitch preserves a fragment of performance history. “The history of the kites is really great because they’ve been there, ridden by Aaron and many of the team riders,” Louise adds. “To continue the project and recycle the bags, it just gives them a second life. It’s more history carrying on.”
The first Upcycled collection is made from Project Peak prototype kites – tough, lightweight, and completely unique. The range includes the Beach Bag, Backpack, Accessory Pouch, and a Display Teddy – each handcrafted from retired high-performance kites.
No two accessories are ever the same. Each carries subtle traces of its past: competition intensity, heavy wind sessions, world podium moments. “It’s great that they can be used again and they don’t go to landfill,” Louise says. “Giving them a second life is great for the environment, good sustainability, and good for the planet.”
Every kite has a history – riders, wind, podium moments. Upcycling lets that story keep flying.
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