Tis the season for totes: to bring to the grocery store and farmer’s market, beach and gym, on boat rides, picnics, weekend outings, and more. If you ask me, the smallest, such as the half-size shopper pictured above, also make perfect warm weather evening bags.
We particularly like the options from Puebco of Japan, which specializes in making household necessities, such as trash bins and blankets, out of reclaimed and recycled goods. Founded by designer Hirotaka Tanaka, the Tokyo-based company’s mission is to turn scraps into “renewed lifestyle items.” The company’s handmade products are produced in India often from repurposed Indian materials—such as truck seat covers. Here, a sampling of Puebco’s standout totes from the line’s online store and US vendors.
Hirotaka Tanaka writes: “The material was found in a certain town in India in an area where military surplus goods are distributed. I visited a small specialty store where used fabrics were piled up to the ceiling and there was no place to step. Guided by the man in the store, I climbed up the huge pile of fabric and moved through it, searching for something that was neither this nor that. I have an attachment to this material that cannot be expressed in words, as I have spent hours struggling with it, as if exploring a cave.”
- For more favorites and a bit of history, see Object Lessons: The Classic Canvas Tote.
- Also see The 7 Best All-Purpose Canvas Tote Bags, Under $120 Edition.
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