After six years of living in Switzerland, Freitag has become for us one of the most powerful associations with our adopted home. Fondue, cows and chocolate bars, iconic though they may be, only scratch the surface; Freitag takes us deeper to tell a story of pragmatic beauty and industrious design, values that seem to lie at the heart of Swiss ethos…
Also, the boutique in Lausanne is pure eye-candy.
When you pay attention, it seems that nearly 1 in 2 people walking around Lausanne is carrying Freitag. For years we admired the brand but weren’t sure that the style was really our own. Then a grey backpack from the Reference line called our name, and there’s no going back.
There’s no doubt that the “look” may not be for everyone. But Freitag bags and clothing are products you buy because you believe in something essential about the way the brand sees the world. In Switzerland, where our cities abut some of the world’s most stunning natural landscapes, it’s only to be expected that urbanism would be in constant tension with ecological questions. For those unfamiliar with the Freitag story, the bags are made from upcycled (used) truck tarpaulins. Instead of ending up in a landfill, where they would undoubtedly take centuries to decompose, the tarps are fashioned into durable – read: indestructible – bags. Because of their unusual creation process, each and every bag is unique.
Just this year, Freitag also released a new line of biodegradable clothing. In other words, if you get tired of your shirt, you can throw it into the compost bin and it will disappear within a matter of days. Hello, future!
For us, the process of becoming Freitag customers happened in parallel to the process of becoming more and more Swiss in our habits and mindset. And when mass consumerism is at exhausting extremes, it’s a brand and a bag that we look forward to carrying forever.
The Freitag Store, Lausanne
Rue Neuve 6
1003 Lausanne
