The seatbelt bag has gotten an upgrade.

It’s starting to look more space age chic than Third World recycled handy craft.

The newest bags look dare-I-say-it metropolitan and ready for the urban jungle, but they might still appeal to  Earth fair attendees.

A new men’s line of messenger bags and laptop sleeve launches today with a woven texture that is a marriage of slick yet crafty.

The Black Label collection will be available in all black, camouflage and “treecycle” (a mix of earth-friendly metallic, silver and bronze colored straps from used vehicles).

To be honest, I was never that impressed with the women’s line of this product, but these looks for men, have appeal.

The men’s bags weigh in at around 2.2 pound and are built for durability.

I think the quirky edge of the smooth seatbelts and the basket weave of the design is perfect for a messenger bag (a.k.a. the greatest metrosexual accessory ever).

I clicked around and the company is also proving me wrong on the fact that seatbelts are too boyish to be girly, but I still wasn’t as interested in a bag for myself, though I could see purchasing one for my favorite metrosexual (do we even use that word anymore).

The Harvey’s seatbelt crew won’t disclose where they get their straps, new or used, so you can only imagine that maybe the clunker you dumped for your new ride might have contributed to a more stylish existence in its hereafter.

The belts that are not recycled come from an undisclosed auto manufacturer. The men’s line won’t be available in local stores yet, but you can find them at www.seatbeltbags.com.

A selection of items from the women’s line of Harvey’s Seatbelt bags are sold at: Dazzle Boutique, 10425 Clayton Road, St. Louis, 314-991-3200.

And if you’re wondering, “Why seatbelts?” It’s a bit of a goofy story. According to the press materials, the founding couple wanted to make the wife a purse to match the seatbelts they were putting into a restored vehicle. The compliments rolled in and they made more. Plausible, but a little weird.

But it makes me wonder what other useful fashion purposes those old car parts might yield: rings out of gaskets, lugnut necklaces, the vanity table side mirror, spark plug earrings… who knows. Afterall there was that “Project Runway” challenge with car parts a few years ago in which there was a woven seatbelt coat dress and items made of car mats and chrome.