cphbags: Functionality, sustainability, and exceptional quality

Sustainable in every way, this small brand at the beginning of their journey is one to watch. The Copenhagen-based company produces bags that are modern, practical and stylish, designed to be used time and again. cphbags’ ever-growing collection has a style for every occasion.

Founded and owned by Maria Nouvel Buch-Jakobsen, cphbags released their first product, the Shopping Bag, in January 2020, which was very well received and became almost an instant success. After several lockdown-imposed breaks along the way, the brand is now back with a vengeance and with a wide selection of beautiful bags. While the label will please the environmentally-conscious and mindful shopper, its beautiful designs appeal to everyone.

A bag for every need

“The idea came to me when I was out shopping,” Maria explains. “I had all my groceries and then wanted to get some fresh flowers from the market, but I had nowhere safe to put them.” Thus, the seed was sown to create a roomy bag that would hold all types of groceries, including the more delicate items. “I played around with an empty cardboard box,” she says. “I took the box apart, and then put it back together again, folding it here and there, to create the seven different compartments that have become the trademark for our bags.”

Though the idea behind the first bag, the Shopping Bag, sprang from a need for a multi-purpose, durable shopping bag, it turned out to be fantastic for all sorts of things, not just groceries. Over time Maria has tried and tested the bag herself for many different purposes, which has resulted in an array of bags, such as a baby bag, a giant weekend bag, a beach bag, a study bag, a toiletries bag, and a bag perfect for a trip to the gym. It seems there really is a bag for every need and for every occasion.

Maria’s positive attitude influences everything she does, and her enthusiasm is invigorating. She is unstoppable and almost can’t help creating new bags to add to her collection. She is an inspiration to behold: an independent businesswoman, busy mother, and all-round lovely, conscientious human being.

Her background is not in design nor fashion, but rather in economics. Her astute ability to acknowledge a need, her innate sense of style, and her own personal beliefs are the pillars of this stylish, sustainable and functional brand.

Slow fashion

There is a strong customer base in Denmark but cphbags also sells elsewhere in the Nordics and the rest of Europe. Maria has a strong vision of where she wants to take the brand: “in ten years’ time I would like to be selling our bags worldwide,” Maria says.

She has patented the unique folding technique and, with the appeal of being both highly functional and 100 per cent sustainable, there is little doubt that Maria’s eye for design, her business acumen and brilliant vision will get her brand where she wants it to be. “Our customers love our products and keep returning,” she says happily.

Waste not, want not

Maria has a keen eye for finding environmentally friendly and workable solutions, and her passion for developing new ideas is palpable. The material she uses for all the cphbags is made from 98 per cent recycled plastic bottles and there is next to no material waste in the production of any of the bags.

When creating a new model, Maria always focuses on how to minimize material waste. She focuses on using the entire piece of material to create her bags, and for smaller bags she will cut a piece of material into two, three or four pieces. The smallest bags in the collection are all made from the material left over after production of the Shopping Bag and Weekend Bag – but the company’s commitment to being sustainable never compromises the quality or functionality of the bags.

While the material is extremely durable, and of a very high quality, the touch and finish are elegant. Each stylish bag manages to be sustainable and environmentally friendly and is a beautiful piece of design with a distinctly Scandinavian feel.

The brand is growing as the business goes from strength to strength. With a patented idea, continuously developing designs, and a founder with enormous drive and endless ideas, cphbags is ready for the world, one stylish, functional, and sustainable step at a time.

Web: www.cphbags.com
Instagram: @cphbags
Facebook: cphbags