the PPC Cement Laptop Bag story

The story about how the PPC Cement Laptop Bag came to be is rather straight forward > I was at a shoe factory ordering shoes (pumps to be specific) one random day and they were showing me how they made them. Part of the procedure is to fuse the desired outer fabric to a cotton to make the fabric stronger and more suitable for the purpose. Curious as to what else this technical fabric would be used for I asked for some.

I fused it to all sorts of materials, paper being one of them. Then some time later I was driving along the highway behind a cement truck and I noticed the packaging, more specifically, the very graphic elephant logo of Pretoria Portland Cement. I thought this would be fantastic to make a bag out of so I got hold of some PPC packaging and experimented. It really was an opportunity, experiment and idea that all came together.

Once I had a prototype I contacted PPC for their permission to use their packaging and the rest is history. It reminded me of something I had written before “Inspiration is all around you, you’ve just keep your eyes and mind open to possibilities. (See blog post about connecting experiences).

So how do we make the bags now? An unused Pretoria Portland Cement paper bag is the beginning of each piece. We use unused cmenet packaging Production takes a while, but it’s worth it. We separate the layers that make up a cement packet, remove the top and third layer of the bag and fuse them together. Bonding them with black cotton means that durability is never compromised. From there, you can treat it like any other fabric. We draw the pattern, cut it and stitch the bag together (click here to watch video about us).

Fatima Samuels – sewer

The PPC Cement Laptop Bag is as practical as you can get. There are two sections and two pockets: carry your laptop cables in one pocket and a phone or mouse in the other. A padded divider separates your laptop from any other papers or notes, and the entire inside of the bag is also padded to protect everything that you carry inside it.

The bag closes with two magnets discreetly hidden on the flap.

Wendren Setzer – designer

The bags were originally coated with 3M scotchguard but we really wanted to use a more environmentally friendly product. After months of searching and testing we found a concentration of nano tech liquid glass that coats the surface with a really thin film that water, dirt and/or oil cannot penetrate, and works on the cement packaging paper.

Packaging designed for the PPC Cement Laptop Bag telling you the story about how it is made (a cement packaging becomes a bag and a bag becomes a tag).

Nano liquid glass is a revolutionary product that, in a really simple description, coats the surface so that it is hydrophobic (water repellent) in the same way that a lotus leaf is. It is completely invisible, unlike other coatings, and does not change the texture of the surface or impair it’s ability to breathe. It also enhances colour strength and makes the coated surface easier to clean without the use of detergents. It couldn’t be more perfect.

This product has proven to be so successful as a bag coating (making them water resistant, soil repellent and easy to clean) that we now also spray the Antique Linen range of bags.

The bags are available as in three colours and three sizes: 13″, 15″ and 17″ and in various colours. Click here to visit the WREN shop to buy a a PPC Cement Laptop Bag online.

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Other PPC Cement Laptop Bag posts:

South African Fashion Week

Highlights of Munich Creative Business Week

TOTAL’s fresh air campaign (with video)

Cape town for World Design Capital

PPC Cement Laptop Bag collection photoshoot

PPC Cement Laptop Bag packaging

See how it lasts (short post about the life of a Wren PPC Cement Laptop Bag)