Blog by Rosie Helson (Intern)
And Friday makes everyone happy, right?
On a recent trip to Zurich, I was introduced to the amazing Freitag brand through an interactive design exhibition at the Museum Fur Gestalung. The company strategy acts as a fantastic demonstration of a sustainable business cycle. This is particularly relevant given recent discussions around moves to a circular economy.
An Innovative Solution
In 1993 there was a problem. Bike riders (particularly couriers) in Zurich needed a strong, durable, waterproof and lightweight bag to carry with them on their city travels. Daniel and Markus Freitag spotted a niche and came up with a simple but effective solution: purchase European truck tarpaulins and make bags out of them.
An Eco-friendly Process
First, the truck tarps are salvaged. At the start, the brothers photographed truck tarps form the side of the road to choose which to purchase. Now there is an entire department responsible for finding these tarps to recycle. Next, the tarp is cut up by hand and washed in rainwater. After being air-dried, a designer decides which style to create and any left-over cuts are recycled.
Inspirational Growth
It is cool to have a Freitag bag in Zurich, but the bags are also popular around the world. This is thanks to the great bag design and the uniqueness of each bag as well as the deployment of innovative marketing techniques.
The diverse product lines have been developed as the customer base aged with the company. Both practical and fashionable, Freitag bags (purses, washbags, iPad cases) can be used by schoolgirls in Tokyo, snowboarders in the Alps and business men in New York. The company story acts an inspiration to entrepreneurs.
Sticking To Their Values
We visited the Freitag store in Zurich after the exhibition, which is a shop made of recycled ship containers stacked on top of one another.
Freitag is celebrating its twentieth anniversary next year. After its humble beginnings as a response to bike messenger needs, the brand continues to promote cycling as a sustainable mode of transport.
The brand is a great shiny green beacon, lighting the way through the green consumer landscape for products that aspire to be both environmentally-friendly and attractive. I love what Freitag represents and hope that it remains the epitome of urban cool on the street scene.
Check it out!