Concevoir une banane upcyclée, inclusive et locale : les étapes clés - La Virgule

How to design an upcycled, inclusive and local fanny pack ?

Hyper local production, the Calao hip pack was imagined, developed and produced in Lille.
It is the latest accessory to join our range of upcycled luggage. For this model, we tried to tick as many boxes as possible to reduce its impact while being stylish!
Imagine four different models, with different technical constraints, while remaining local, sustainable and authentic, it's possible! After the Sterne , it's up to the fanny pack to reveal its production secrets.

From design…

The basis of all our products: the choice of materials

This is our trademark: all of our products are upcycled from end-of-life sports equipment . The Calao fanny pack is no exception to the rule!
The first step in its design is therefore to determine which materials will be upcycled. For that, go to our workshop in Lille, at GARAGE, where we settled two years ago with our sewing machines and all our samples of materials to be upcycled to find the best projects to develop.

Notre atelier de prototypage à Lille

We are looking for quality, durable and aesthetic materials. Rigidity, composition, weight, texture, color, we think of everything to make the choice. For the hip packs, it will be kite wings and tubes, tent canvases and survival canoes that will be upcycled.

The fanny pack look

Once the materials have been selected, Solène, our product engineer / designer / prototypist (all that in one person, amazing isn't it?) begins to draw fanny pack models on a tablet.

What form ? What size ? How do we open it? How do we attach it? Where to put what material and what color? She studies all the possibilities to select the one that works best.

Dessin des mesures de la banane Calao

Then, place to practice, Solène makes the patterns and begins the first prototypes. We adjust a few details: the orientation of the zip, the size of the strap, the location of the label… It takes a few seconds to write, but this step requires spending a few hours behind the sewing machine!

The design phase is now complete, the first version of the fanny pack is ready!

… to production.

Sewn in an integration workshop, a few steps from our offices

The materials are then sent to the workshop which will sew the fanny packs. They are accompanied by a technical file which explains how the fanny pack must be sewn. There is also the pattern and the dimensions of the hip pack.

Production is finally launched in the workshop. On our side, we think about the name of the fanny pack, the photos we are going to take, etc.

Then, we receive the first fanny packs, hot and ready in time for Christmas!! It's the race, we take the pictures, we write the product sheets and presto! Hip packs are online on the site. You love them, we're so happy, everything is going well.

La banane Calao beige par La Virgule - face avant

A few copies are on display in the points of sale where we are present, in particular in the GARAGE pop-up store, the circle is complete!

Finally, the Calao fanny pack is a unique and responsible fashion accessory, made in Lille from A to Z. From the selection of materials to the sewing through the creation of prototypes, each stage of design and production is meticulously thought out. to create unique and sustainable fanny packs.

Join our upcycled and inclusive movement with the Calao!

It is available on our site and is waiting for you.

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