Make a F-ake Freitag Workshop

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In 1993, graphic designers Markus and Daniel Freitag were looking for a functional, water-repellent and robust bag to hold their creative work. Inspired by the multicolored heavy traffic that rumbled through the Zurich transit intersection in front of their flat, they developed a messenger bag from used truck tarpaulins, discarded bicycle inner tubes and car seat belts. This is how the first Freitag bags took shape in the living room of their shared apartment – each one recycled, each one unique.

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As Creative Directors, they dream up, develop and oversee every new Freitag model until it is ripe for production. In 2014, they gave themselves a new raw material on which to flex their creative muscles: F-ABRIC. Their rugged, completely compostable textiles are based on vegetable fibers produced using a minimum of resources within an area of 2500 kilometers form the factory.

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Tarp bag headquarters have been located at the Noerd industrial complex in Zurich-Oerlikon since 2011. There, on premises measuring over 80,000 square feet in area, the tarps are disassembled and washed and cut to size by hand; the 160 staff produce around 300,000 products per year.

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This week, Freitag at Birkenstock Clifton Hill will be hosting a free mini-workshop on Thursday 24 from 12pm to 6.30pm. They’ll be helping you make your own DIY mini-tarp pouch using Freitag’s colourful, recycled truck tarpaulin. They also have five pairs of the limited edition Sennheiser x Freitag headsets available and light refreshments and barbecue food will be on the table from 4:30-6:30pm.

More information about the event can be found here.