What Happened to All the Legs?

How sixteen banana boxes of unwanted denim found a second life.

The Denim Hound Bone started with a question:

"What happened to all the legs?"

Erica spotted a Facebook post from Re-New Kerikeri, a local textile recycling initiative that works alongside the Kerikeri Hospice Shop to repair, repurpose and give new life to materials that might otherwise end up in landfill.

The post read:

"Cut off jean shorts will start appearing in the shop from next week."

It immediately sparked a question. If all those shorts had been made from old jeans, what had happened to the denim legs?

Curious, Erica contacted Katie-Mae Crawford from Re-New Kerikeri and the answer was unexpected.

There were sixteen banana boxes full of denim jean legs waiting for a purpose.

Katie-Mae generously offered them to us and, naturally, Erica immediately said yes.

At the time, we had no product, no pattern and no plan beyond the belief that such a useful material deserved a second life.

Then came the fun part – prototyping and experimenting.

Working alongside Kerikeri sewing wizard Jill Fraser (fondly known to locals as Nana Jill), we explored different shapes, sizes and fillings. We tested various options, including squeakers, but the more we refined the product, the clearer it became that we wanted to stay true to what Holistic Hound stands for.

Rather than adding plastic components, we chose to keep things simple.

Each Denim Hound Bone is made from washed upcycled denim, double stitched for durability and filled with 100% New Zealand pure wool. No squeakers. No synthetic stuffing. Just thoughtfully chosen materials designed to create a toy that hounds love to carry, toss, cuddle and enjoy.

The finished product feels reassuringly different from many modern dog toys.

The sturdy denim outer provides texture and durability while remaining gentle on teeth and gums. The pure wool filling creates a soft, natural center. The absence of a squeaker makes it ideal for quieter, calmer enrichment.

But perhaps what makes the Denim Hound Bone most special is the story behind it.

Each bone begins its life as a pair of jeans once worn by someone in our community. Through the work of Re-New Kerikeri, the Kerikeri Hospice Shop, Nana Jill and Holistic Hound, those materials are transformed into something entirely new.

What started as sixteen banana boxes of unwanted denim has become a product that reflects many of the things we value most: thoughtful design, local craftsmanship, natural materials and finding value where others may see waste.

Every Denim Hound Bone carries a little piece of that story.

And because no two pieces of denim are exactly the same, every bone is unique too.

Erica & Suzanne x