Ego Libre

Have you heard of Freitag bags? No? You should have. I am absolutely amazed about this company and their concept. I am absolutely convinced, that this is the ultimate business concept of the future fashion and retail industry.

I started noticing these strange bags that young and trendy Japanese were carrying around Tokyo. I also noticed the tag Freitag on them, which made me wonder whether they are really Japanese. Well, as I found out they are not. When I was in Tokyo last time, I saw the bags in store and found out that they are made from old truck tarps, straps from seat-belts and edges toughened up by old inner-tubes. All recycled materials and the bags look great! What a fantastic idea!

Then I realized that every single bag is original. Wow.

And then I went online to Freitag.ch. And that’s when I finally understood the whole concept. This company is a true visionary. You can design your own bag on the website, they will cut it, sew it and ship it to you!

So let’s recapitulate. This is a company making bags from 100% recycled materials, thus making eco-minded customers feel good about the purchase. Each and every bag is unique, which of course caters to new generation of customers looking for uniqueness rather than mass production. Read the company history. Feel the tone? The personal feel? THIS is how companies ought to talk to customers. That is what we want to hear. Not impersonal press releases. These guys simply GET IT. And finally, you can even create your own bag. Customized, on demand, I mean mark my words, this is how we will be shopping for 50% of our clothes in 5-10 years. I know I will.

With possibilities to outsource actual production and with logistic solutions getting more integrated and cheaper, I think that the time when we will be designing our own t-shirts, custom made shoes and suits is not far away. Ready-to-wear mass production is so 20th century. Customized tailoring, welcome back!

And if you want to see my cubistic creation, you can check it out here