I’ve been trying to build a more practical wardrobe and paying more attention to design and usability rather than just brand names.
Recently while browsing different style sources, I came across AAAstudio.nu. They carry a wide range of bags and fashion pieces in clean, wearable styles, which I found interesting from a styling perspective.
Curious how everyone here balances practicality and aesthetics when choosing bags?
neon fanny pack
I just use a battered old backpack if needed, or a sling bag I got from a charity shop (great place to find random enormous bags for almost nothing).
But for a aesthetics… well I’m in a phase of deciding to make lotsa things myself, then taking a month or so to get started and so on…
But Wet Felting is cheap and makes stuff really fast - a simple bag would probably be two-three hours work? Chuck it in a washing machine at the end to felt it up fast and you have a totally unique bag that’s pretty tough (and repair is easy). It can even just be used to add decoration to an existing bag - one of those basic canvas carriers should work quite well as the base layer for felting.
https://i.pinimg.com/236x/e3/0f/4a/e30f4afb7b01b016ab9e6a0d4c8a416e.jpg
But there are also lots of people who will make them for you, and the prices aren’t bad at all.
For me, form follows function follows finances follows freedom from forced labor.
I refuse to buy shit that uses slave labor whenever possible, so I buy secondhand or buy from companies who manufacture domestically and are transparent about their production processes. Since I’m not made of literal diamonds, I buy a lot of shit secondhand. eBay is the devil, and I fucking hate buying shit online, so I do a lot of thrifting.
My aesthetic goals and functional demands bend to my self-imposed limited access. For “modern” nice looking shit, I’m usually thrifting in a major city. For vintage shit, though, small town antique stores, garage sales, and estate sales.
If I were buying a bag in your situation and I didn’t want to buy it secondhand, I would probably find someone to make one for me (on Etsy or local craft/art fairs — weirdly enough flea markets in my area have a ton of makers. I buy all of my rugs from a lady at the Labor Day flea market a few towns over) or buy from a company like Beckel, Frost River, maybe Bradley Mountain, NutSac, or one of the myriad bag making companies around.
for me practicality trumps all. comfort, capacity, resilience to weather, use and time.
i bought one of those Chrome Industries messenger bags back in like 2009 when i went back to school and became a pedestrian. i noticed one that a particularly outdoorsy cycling prof had and let me try on.
the thing is a beast. the strap is so wide, sturdy and padded. rapidly adjustable for when im in layers, want it loose for casual strolling, or pulled tight to my body for a quick frogger sprint across 4 lanes. its my main travel bag, daily work carry, and a great hiking bag.
they are not cheap, but i bought mine when i was crazy broke (the purchase represented like 1/3 of my semester’s budget) and never regretted it for a second. years later when my sibling was in grad school and asked me about backpacks, i bought them one and it blew their mind for comfort and utility.
its my only bag and i would still wear it every day even if my crush told me i looked like a total loser with it.
i don’t though. i look so cool with it on, i could seduce anyone. even you… the person reading this.
👁️👅👁️i think they used to be all made in USA, but when i check their website I can’t find any info about current manufacturing anymore, so… probably yikes. and its like 17 years since i bought mine, so there’s probably totally legit alternatives now.
