Market Tote Bag

Description from Nordstrom

In a town in India, all the laborers I passed had this bag. It was made from unusual scraps of material from factories that make tents and awnings. The bag seemed to be quite popular since it is made from such durable material while still being affordable. Speed was prioritized in the making of this bag so the stitches are not straight or perforations may be uneven. It’s hard to tell if the handle is navy or black and sometimes the material has irregular marks. Although these qualities may not be attractive to some people, somehow the bag has a special quality that cannot be found in newly made items. The size of the bag is approximate. Essentially “from this end to this end is 36 (or 40, 45, or 50)”, but we could not be sure what measurement 36 or 50 represents as every bag seems to be a little bit different size. This unusual detail must be a characteristic that is unique to India and makes the bag even more interesting. When recreating this exact bag, we wanted the imperfections to really show, just like the totes the laborers carry. No two are alike and each is construction by hand. There can be faded coloring, scratches or stains on the fabric from its previous life of a tent and sun awning. There also may be individual differences in the color of the ribbon tape and texture of of the fabric. Each stamp is meant to not be uniform, they can be smudged and imperfect.