Also the NY-based luxury brand Bode's store bags are definitely inspired by these (probably the versions seen in NYC's Chinatown). And Sandy Liang did her take in a pattern for her collab with Baggu.
I had no idea about the African history of this bag. I've always thought of them as "Chinatown Bags," since that's where the highest concentration seemed to be (and was probably where one went to acquire them), but New Yorkers of all backgrounds use these bags for all sorts of things that need to be hauled around the city. In particular costume designers, who spend much of their time hauling large quantities of clothing all over the grid and through the boroughs, and they work for storage as well.
Can I suggest the Ivorian name - 'Chambre Tranquille', because it's also serves as storage for your things in rented rooms without luxuries like a wardrobe. I'm sure her patients would be happy to think of going home to a peaceful room of their own.
I found myself hoping the bags had straps that would accommodate carrying them like a backpack, also. Would make the bags much more useful and versatile.
Good lord, now we are celebrating trash bags carried across nations filled with every belonging possible. But the bags have nothing to do with Africa, per se - the material sewn into 'immigration bags' (in China) can be seen on every continent, and in the middle of the ocean in a huge pool of other plastic junk. Tartan is one choice; others are Hello Kitty and SpongeBob SquarePants. The bags are not only used by emigres from other nations, traveling to a new home, but to ship goods for your small biz by air. Just one of these bags can easily be stuffed with 30kg of T-shirts or knock-off Levis to be sold back home. They have been designed to be the cheapest way to transport goods by volume, and I'd say integral to the small business economy of the Global South... they are that important. So bravo for writing about the mighty mylar bag!!!
Thank you for this article! As a south east asian person, I've always thought that this bags history and use was an "Asian" thing and was unaware of its history of it in Africa and the connotations. An interesting one indeed in terms of thinking about cultural imports/exports as well as the unspoken unifying struggle, pain and strength of migrants.
Thanks so much for this! I am from HK. My eyes and brain flickered with recognition when I saw the pattern — it’s a part of the fabric of life over there that it isn’t anywhere else that I have seen. But I never knew the backstory, or its wider life!
These bags are so familiar to me; my mom would jam pack them with kitchenware, clothes, and other household items when we moved houses. Several of them came with me to my college dorm too! I forget what she called them, but I’m certain that some of them came with her from Nepal when she packed all her life into 23kg checked bags. I think it’s important to learn the history of our things, so I really loved this breakdown of the bag’s origin and embedding into cultures across the world. The stitches feel like a mosaic of all the lives, hopes, and fears they’ve carried across borders.
This was so well written and interesting to read. As someone [a Nigerian] who knows the history of the bags, your essay provided newer [and more interesting] contex[ts] I didn't even know to explore/thread. And for that, thank you! — for writing and putting your words out into the world.🙏
Fascinating history! I've seen these in random cities (I live in a suburb in the southern US) but had no context for them. Before finishing the piece, the 99 cent IKEA blue Frakta bags came to mind as an option for your friend.
Oh yeah, we own these in Hong Kong. There's a local brand called "Goods of Desire" that has riffed on the pattern in interesting ways for a long time too.
In Hong Kong a nickname my family has for these is "Chinese LV" 😂 I don't know if this is a broader nickname or just in my fam
Nice, and thank you. Many objects, which have only practical meaning to us, carry historic and cultural meaning in other cultures. I saw this a lot in my travels.
Wow I had no idea this bag had such a story. I used to see them around a lot as a kid who grew up in the suburban area of Paris, France. It was mostly used by people from Africa and Northern Africa (at least in my suburb). I'd see them a lot more when it was time for my friends to visit their "home" country for the summer. It is a fond memory of mine, those colourful bags.
Now, it is used by anyone really. I have quite a few at home that helped when I moved.
I loved this piece as an African! I knew this history so it’s amazing to see it shared with a larger audience.
Also the NY-based luxury brand Bode's store bags are definitely inspired by these (probably the versions seen in NYC's Chinatown). And Sandy Liang did her take in a pattern for her collab with Baggu.
I had no idea about the African history of this bag. I've always thought of them as "Chinatown Bags," since that's where the highest concentration seemed to be (and was probably where one went to acquire them), but New Yorkers of all backgrounds use these bags for all sorts of things that need to be hauled around the city. In particular costume designers, who spend much of their time hauling large quantities of clothing all over the grid and through the boroughs, and they work for storage as well.
Can I suggest the Ivorian name - 'Chambre Tranquille', because it's also serves as storage for your things in rented rooms without luxuries like a wardrobe. I'm sure her patients would be happy to think of going home to a peaceful room of their own.
I found myself hoping the bags had straps that would accommodate carrying them like a backpack, also. Would make the bags much more useful and versatile.
Good lord, now we are celebrating trash bags carried across nations filled with every belonging possible. But the bags have nothing to do with Africa, per se - the material sewn into 'immigration bags' (in China) can be seen on every continent, and in the middle of the ocean in a huge pool of other plastic junk. Tartan is one choice; others are Hello Kitty and SpongeBob SquarePants. The bags are not only used by emigres from other nations, traveling to a new home, but to ship goods for your small biz by air. Just one of these bags can easily be stuffed with 30kg of T-shirts or knock-off Levis to be sold back home. They have been designed to be the cheapest way to transport goods by volume, and I'd say integral to the small business economy of the Global South... they are that important. So bravo for writing about the mighty mylar bag!!!
Thank you for this article! As a south east asian person, I've always thought that this bags history and use was an "Asian" thing and was unaware of its history of it in Africa and the connotations. An interesting one indeed in terms of thinking about cultural imports/exports as well as the unspoken unifying struggle, pain and strength of migrants.
Thanks so much for this! I am from HK. My eyes and brain flickered with recognition when I saw the pattern — it’s a part of the fabric of life over there that it isn’t anywhere else that I have seen. But I never knew the backstory, or its wider life!
These bags are so familiar to me; my mom would jam pack them with kitchenware, clothes, and other household items when we moved houses. Several of them came with me to my college dorm too! I forget what she called them, but I’m certain that some of them came with her from Nepal when she packed all her life into 23kg checked bags. I think it’s important to learn the history of our things, so I really loved this breakdown of the bag’s origin and embedding into cultures across the world. The stitches feel like a mosaic of all the lives, hopes, and fears they’ve carried across borders.
This was so well written and interesting to read. As someone [a Nigerian] who knows the history of the bags, your essay provided newer [and more interesting] contex[ts] I didn't even know to explore/thread. And for that, thank you! — for writing and putting your words out into the world.🙏
Fascinating history! I've seen these in random cities (I live in a suburb in the southern US) but had no context for them. Before finishing the piece, the 99 cent IKEA blue Frakta bags came to mind as an option for your friend.
In Zimbabwe we cal the bag the 'shangaan' bag
awesome
Oh yeah, we own these in Hong Kong. There's a local brand called "Goods of Desire" that has riffed on the pattern in interesting ways for a long time too.
In Hong Kong a nickname my family has for these is "Chinese LV" 😂 I don't know if this is a broader nickname or just in my fam
Nice, and thank you. Many objects, which have only practical meaning to us, carry historic and cultural meaning in other cultures. I saw this a lot in my travels.
Wow I had no idea this bag had such a story. I used to see them around a lot as a kid who grew up in the suburban area of Paris, France. It was mostly used by people from Africa and Northern Africa (at least in my suburb). I'd see them a lot more when it was time for my friends to visit their "home" country for the summer. It is a fond memory of mine, those colourful bags.
Now, it is used by anyone really. I have quite a few at home that helped when I moved.