A TOTEM OF

A SERIES OF DRAWSTRING BAGS

A TOTEM OF explores the hidden stories within common objects that shape our world. These items often carry layered meanings and have become cultural symbols -totems- over time.

A TOTEM OF convenience is about the origin of the bag. The earliest form of (what we now know as) a bag was a drawstring leather pouch in which men carried coins in the Middle Ages.

Women didn’t start using a bag unitil much later, around the late 1700s and 1800s. They began to carry delicate little drawstring bags called reticules. At the beginning reticules (or ‘ridicules’) caused quite a fuss because they were shaped as pockets, which were recognized as undergarments, not to be seen. And people found reticules shocking, because it was considered a masculine habit to carry money and other belongings.

Even now drawstring bags are still present in our daily lives. From gym bags, to marble pouches, to military duffels, they all share the same basic design: rectangular pieces of fabric joined together to create a simple yet practical space for your belongings, making them a totem of convenience. Just pull those strings tight and off you go!

Based on this concept a series of contemporary drawstring bags is developed, made from 100% organic dry wax cotton. Water-repellent, yet machine-washable. Handmade in the Netherlands.

Bags are available via The Domestic Botanist

Fig. 1: A TOTEM OF convenience: a series of drawstring bags.

Fig. 2: Pair of embroidered cotton pockets, 1800 – 29, France. Via Victoria and Albert Museum, London. The development of 'tie-on' pockets during the 17th century was a defining moment for women, providing an extremely popular detachable accessory for carrying their possessions, similar to the function of handbags today.

Fig. 3: Edmund Hillary packs sack in preparation for the 1957 Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition at the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Gracefield, Lower Hutt, 1956.

Fig. 4: The Baguette Bag

Fig. 5: Dummy spread

Fig. 6: The Mini Duffel

Fig. 7: British reticule, late 18th century. Via Met Museum.

Fig. 8: The Marble Bag

Fig. 9: Military duffels, source unknown.

Fig. 10: Traditional Japanese tea pots with shifuku, which are fabric pouches that protect and decorate the pots. Source unknown.

Fig. 11: The Bag Charm

Fig. 12: Child wearing a gymbag, source unknown.

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