How Design-thinking Redefined the Ladies’ Handbag

Sarang Sheth

7 years ago

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/formulastudio/the-addition-bag-a-modular-leather-bag-that-adapts?

Honestly, the handbag was always screaming for a redesign. When you see people joking about how a woman’s handbag is an endless abyss or a portal into a universe where all your belongings are stored, you need to ask yourself, “Doesn’t it need relooking at?”.

My theory is that the handbag industry was created to exploit the fact that women’s pants never had pockets and therefore women couldn’t carry wallets. However, the handbag has always had very basic compartments with little to no thought put into them. Look, conversely, at a laptop bag and you’ll see the difference in outlook and the resulting compartmentalization.

The Addition Bag was created to address the glaring lack of design intervention in the handbag industry. Made with style as well as actual features, the bag explores modularity as a means to reduce clutter and uplift the handbag’s personality. The Addition comprises two bags that can be used independently, or together as one super-bag. A handbag on top gives you the familiar feeling of owning and using something you’re accustomed to. With two handles for easy carrying, the handbag feels traditional, but even comes with a detachable shoulder-strap to convert it into a messenger-style sling bag. On the inside, the handbag does compartmentalization right. With a laptop/tablet/book compartment, security slots for your phone, two slip-in pockets, an elasticated water-bottle holder, and external pockets too, the handbag feels a lot like a hybrid between a laptop backpack and a ladies’ handbag. However, it’s bag number 2 that really hits the sweet spot. Designed to be used independently via a hand-strap, or to be attached to the base of the handbag via zippers, the attachment bag comes in two variants. A chiller variant with a thermally insulated lining, perfect for carrying your lunch or any other meal along with you, keeping warm things warm and cool things cool for up to 6 hours… and a gym variant with an easy-to-clean lining, perfect for gym clothes, or even an extra pair of shoes. Made clearly keeping user-scenarios in mind, the Addition Bag is a testament to truly adopting a problem-solving approach. Oh, and needless to say, the modularity allows for some wonderful dual-colored combinations. Made from genuine vegetable-tanned leather, the bags explore eye-catching color schemes ranging from warm to cool, adding aesthetics to what I believe is a bag that gives the fashion industry a great lesson in adopting a functional, consumer-centric, problem-solving approach.

Designers: Steven McAllister & Amelia Fong of Formula Studio

Click here to Buy Now: $292.00 ~~$375.00~~ (25% off).

Addition was created with the aim of re-imagining the handbag to make hitting your daily goals easier. The result is a modular bag which offers maximum adaptability and style that is built to last.