Hungarian designer to conquer the world with wooden bags – Photos

You might have seen bags made from plastic, molino, chips, Túró Rudi paper, and other unusual materials, but wood is definitely something new. According to szeretlekmagyarorszag.hu, a Hungarian designer makes wooden bags that are practical and look great at the same time. Check out Szilvia Kálmán’s masterpieces 🙂

The creator of Woody Design bags already experienced the joy of art with master ceramist Mária Szilágyi when she was a little girl. “At the age of 9-10, I was mesmerised by the smell of clay and that I could get my hands dirty. I didn’t become a ceramist in the end, but I studied porcelain painting. Unfortunately, I had to stop due to health issues, but I didn’t want to give up painting, so I started designing silk pictures and hand-painted dresses. It was probably bad timing, because the Hungarian market wasn’t open for something like this back then” told Szilvia PandArte blog.

She got the idea two years ago, when one of her acquaintances, Zsolt Fodor, the creator of Woody Wood Sunglasses, suggested that she should design jewellery from his left-over wood material.  She learned how to use smaller timber industrial machines, tools and woodworking scroll saws like these. Thereafter, when she felt prepared to design something bigger, she left her job, and started making bags. Szilvia does everything, from the designing to the execution, herself.

• These saws are the best in the market?

She gets the wooden elements from certain sites that carry wooden plates and ply-wood. The production of these is a special process. As a laic, Szilvia compares it to the peeling of an apple. They basically peel the wood with an enormous knife. She uses these high-quality wooden plates to ensemble the outer coat of the bags. Then comes the cutting, sewing of the textile, which is joined with the wooden parts at last.

“Since wood is a hard, stable material, the similarly strong textile takes up the role of the hinge. The creation of a bag is the result of a long hand-working process, as I want them to be pretty from the inside and outside as well.”

For that matter, the internet is full of inspiring sources. Wooden bags are not complete novelties. Szilvia also came across them on the internet. The challenge was to create bags that are not only pretty, but also practical, and don’t look like wooden boxes.

She started dealing with the business seriously one year ago. She currently makes handbags, wallets and jewellery in 3-4 designs. She is also working on a unisex bag, because several men have asked her to create a bag in which they could carry their iPads, tablets. She’s planning to launch it in the spring.

“The real question was whether or not people would be interested by my creations and whether or not they would be willing to pay for them. I was happy to experience that people love the design and novelties. The markets of Wamp Design are the perfect opportunity to present my bags, wallets, which you really have to see in person to get a good understanding of them. Photos might be able to reflect how they look, but not the special feeling of touching them. This is why I find these “personal meetings’ important, because these bags have stories and personalities.” 🙂

Photos: www.facebook.com/WoodyDesign

Source: http://www.szeretlekmagyarorszag.hu/