Creating the Tall Tote

Product

25/10/2021

Sometimes the simplest looking things are the hardest to perfect - and that about sums up the development of this tall tote!

Sometimes the simplest looking things are the hardest to perfect - and that about sums up the development of this tall tote! Let's rewind all the way back to February of this year, when I sent the first tech pack to our factory.

February 2021

The inspiration for this bag for to create a smaller, slimmer bag to our collection of totes. A hobo-style bag that was ultra lightweight, could fit a 13" laptop, and be equally as functional as the linnea with our signature pocket system.

March 2021

I call this version 1: The Perfect Rectangle. Somewhere, somehow, something got very lost in translation. See also the beginning of me trying my hardest to add pockets to the interior.

April - September 2021

Enter six months of me being indecisive about the sides of the bag + desperately trying to add pockets to this bag. Attaching the pockets at the top caused the edge to sag inwards, arranging them at the bottom made it difficult to use since the bag is tall and narrow. And in general, the pockets were a wrinkly mess due to the round body shape of the bag. After months of going back and forth, we settled on a much more elegant solution — a zip pouch that can double as a clutch. Perfect for storing little loose items like headphones, keys, makeup, etc.

July 2021

Reminder that progress is not linear and design is often two steps forward one step back :) I wanted to test various levels of interfacing (a stiffener used to give handbags structure) to achieve the nonchalant look we were going for. The third sample on the left is from May, and the fifth sample on the right is from August.

September 2021

After waiting 2 agonizing weeks for our finalized sample, they arrive crushed. Luckily, our factory has an extra sample which they expedite to me. It's beautiful.