We had the distinct pleasure to interview award winning designer Lommer Pc about their original and creative Tote Bag design work. Lommer Pc is an award-winning fashion designer, that makes our world a better place with their original tote bag works.
Lommer Pc ("LP") answered Design Interview ("DI") questions about their award-winning work EvaTwo Tote Bag. Interview questions prepared by Frank Scott.
LP : What we wanted to achieve when we started designing EVATWO, was a light-weight everyday bag that could easily adapt due to the ergonomical and aesthetic day-to-day needs of its users. Then the inspiration came from the problems we had to deal with in order to reach our goal. We wanted to have an in-house production but we didn’t know how to sew. So our first step was to detect a non-woven material to work with. We found EVA quite interesting so we started to experiment with its properties and possibilities, while we explored how we could make a bag from a surface. During the design process we added more standards and specifications due to our philosophy: How could someone change the bag’s strap easily at home? How could these products been packaged in order to distribute them with low cost? How could we add more choices for the consumers? All these lead us to the final result. Moreover, the material by itself drives us to new paths. The more we learn how to deal with it, the most it inspires us!
LP : The main focus in this work was the needs and the experience of the user. We did not want to design one more bag, but a bag that could follow its buyer and adjust itself due to his needs. Moreover we wanted to suggest a fresh aesthetically proposal, which was achieved by using unexpected for the field of bags materials.
LP : The future plans for EVATWO is to expand the experience for the users also in the digital world. We want to develop a more interactive presentation with which someone could understand the concept of the project through a playful tour in our website. What is more we are designing also an innovative packaging for the product, in order to have its storytelling completed.
LP : It took us about a year to develop the concept of the brand, the designs, the materials and the production until we had EVATWO ready.
LP : We found that there was a gap in the market of bags. There were too many different designs that could fit the needs of the consumers, but we couldn't find a product that could follow the day-to-day needs of the users. So we were looking to design not only a bag but an entire experience. What is more we wanted to enter some new materials in the field of bag making, that could create a new point of view.
LP : This design is being produced and used by our own company, Lommer.
LP : Our need to explore new materials, new ways of production and different ways of facing the everyday products made us design this type of work. We also wanted to have a product that could be easily exportable and that could have correspondence in many several places of the world.
LP : The target customer is the one who wants to have many choices, who needs to pick up the details that compose his image. It addresses to those who doubt, create and experiment. To those that grow and develop. To those who get excited with fresh, different things.
LP : What sets our design apart from the similar concepts is that it is not just a product but a whole experience.
LP : The name of EVATWO came up from the name of the material (E.V.A.) combined with the number of the design in the collection it belongs to. What is more, we liked the trick of using Eva in the name, as it was the first collection we launched!
LP : The most unique aspect is the way it is being produced. We do not sew the bags, but assemble them by snaps. This way we can offer to the user a unique experience of taking part in the process of modulating and adapting his bag to his needs. The user transforms a roll to a bag and then applies the color and the length of the straps of her preference.
LP : We collaborated with chemical engineers in order to develop the appropriate composition of raw materials resulting to a new material that could met our requirements.
LP : After numerous tests of samples and collecting feedback from active users, we focused our research on the development and creation of a new, advanced material based on a blend of E.V.A. foam and rubber, which meets the following specifications: non-smell, antistatic, anti-scratching, durable, lightweight, waterproof and soft touch (it has the feeling of velvet). We managed to get to this result with the help of chemical engineers and a factory that believed in our project and produced this material for us.
LP : The challenges were many, but they played a crucial role in reaching the final result. Firstly we had to discover new production ways and develop materials that could correspond to these methods Then the development of the user’s experience was also challenging. How could EVATWO become a way for the user’s to express themselves and adapt in their everyday lives?
LP : We decided to submit EVATWO to an international design competition in order to test the correspondence it could have to a qualified and design-conscious audience. And the fact that the response was positive makes us really optimism for its future. What is more we wanted this project to have a signature of good design from a respected institution in order to help it open its wings to the global market.
LP : What we actually learned is that every barrier is there for good reason. You can not understand it when you face a difficulty, but when you see it as a past event you realize that it was crucial for your evolution. They just lead you to new extraordinary paths that you wouldn’t reach otherwise.
