30 YEARS OF FREITAG

Something that started in the fall of 1993 as the idea of two brothers in a shared apartment in Zurich has developed into a company that brings unique recycled bags to the streets, from Europe to Asia. Then, as now, we’ve been driven by the notion of keeping used materials in circulation for as long as possible. And, in the future, even closing the cycles. On our 30th anniversary, we reflect on our beginnings and, as a tribute, copy the counterfeit that made the FREITAG bag an original.

For three decades, our bags have stood not only for design and functionality but also for the resource-saving use of materials and durability. The first F13 TOP CAT Messenger Bag, which was admitted to the the Museum of Modern Art in New York (MoMA) design collection in 2003, has given rise to an extensive range of bags and accessories.

For some models today, we combine used truck tarp with recycled PET textile or B-stock airbags, and we even offer a circular smartphone protective sleeve made of worn-out ski boots. Always true to our corporate philosophy: «We think and act in cycles».

Let’s jump back to year three of our story. In 1997, Markus Freitag went shopping at a branch of one of Switzerland’s largest supermarket chains. Suddenly, somewhere between the carrots and the cookies, he spotted a bag that looked familiar. Directly in front of him was a copy of a FREITAG bag. Except this one was called «Donnerstag», and was mass-produced from flimsy new plastic.

Sure, they’d copied the bag, but not the idea behind a FREITAG bag. This bag was neither unique nor recycled, and it probably wasn’t all that durable. It wasn’t so much the day of the week (in German, Donnerstag is the day before Friday) that was so different, but the choice of material, the production method and the belief behind the product.

The supermarket’s counterfeit caused a stir and was a big headache for our still pretty small bag-making operation, which at that time was working in a 60-sq.m studio in the Maag complex in Zurich’s industrial district. «Can they do that?», «Is the Donnerstag bag the beginning of the end for FREITAG?». These questions caused sleepless nights for the Freitag brothers and their first permanent employee.

To everyone’s relief, it didn’t lead to a horrendous court battle or even the mass production of Donnerstag bags that would possibly have buried FREITAG. Thanks to a wave of sympathy from F-ans and friends, which was also taken up by the media, the retailer took the copy off its shelves and promised never again to name bags after days of the week.

The F13 TOP CAT is the classic among bicycle messenger bags. It was created in the early nineties and today can be admired at the MoMA New York. The FREITAG Original is available in selected stores worldwide and online.