Because if we'd chosen insect names, you might not have liked them as much, would you?
To be honest, it wasn't immediately obvious.
We started with names of adventurers like Magellan, Mike Horn and Cousteau. Then, mountain names like Everest and Mont Blanc. Then we looked at the names of endangered animals, plants, rocks, seas and lands. We even wondered whether we should call one of our bags a "cute wren". Each name didn't suit us for one reason or another. Too much used by others, too common or not common enough...
In the end, “O2” won the prize for "1st name for our 1st upcycled backpack". Why O2?
O2 is oxygen. La Virgule advocates taking a break to breathe and rewrite the end-of-life of our products. So we thought it would be interesting to add oxygen to the name of our first bag. As our product range grew, it wasn't easy to find a different chemical element for each bag that would be consistent with our brand concept.
After much brainstorming, we finally settled on "the birds". Why birds?
Because bird names are pretty cool. You can make puns out of them, and birds are all around us, in every environment: sea, mountain, beach, city, etc. A bit like our backpacks, after all. A bit like our backpacks, after all. Bags upcycled from end-of-life sports equipment that we recover "everywhere". Backpacks we can take with us "everywhere". We have the freedom to take them wherever we want, a bit like birds who have the freedom to fly wherever they want. We've come full circle.
The Gravelot
The gravelot (small or large) is a small bird with short legs and a straight, pointed bill.It's a migratory bird that occupies a variety of habitats around the world.Just like your backpack, it too is on a quest for new adventures.
The Sterne
The tern, and more specifically the Arctic tern, is a migratory bird that holds the record for the longest known migration, with no less than 70,000 km round trip.A migratory bird that sometimes travels non-stop.We thought it would be a good idea to associate it with our bike bag, which allows you to cover hundreds of kilometers with your belongings on your bike.
Our Calao fanny pack
The Yellow-billed Hornbill is a medium-sized black-and-white bird. It has a large banana-shaped yellow beak. The link is quickly found.
Hors Bord
The name of this backpack has nothing to do with birds. Upcycled from the canvas of a zodiac inflatable boat, the Hors-Bord 35 and 50L are named after this special, puncture-proof, waterproof material.
A bird like a backpack is an invitation to travel. A journey through the upcycled materials used to create our bags, through the stories behind these materials, and through the stories that will be created with your backpack on your future adventures. Now you know all the secrets behind the names of our backpacks.
