aelbags
aelbags
by Alba Sulser
Exhibition: 7. 6.–13. 6. 2021 from 14 to 19 Uhr
Opening: 7. 6. 2021 from 18 Uhr
aelbags is a project by Alba Sulser that came into being during the corona quarantine in 2020, initially out of boredom caused by the pandemic and later out of the need to share the sentimental value of beloved old clothes with friends. In the meantime, aelbags has grown into a small label that is celebrating its fist anniversary in the form of a showroom in Rindermarkt.
an aelbag is reminiscent of the dior saddle bag, but also of the fanny packs that teenagers take to open air festivals and grandmothers wear when hiking. The shape of an aelbag is simple, while the colours and materials of the fabrics vary with each bag. It is precisely this balance between continuity and uniqueness of each individual bag that makes the label stand out. The bags offer space for many things: small or large books, tampons, cigarettes, bathing things, mobile phone, wallet, a second pair of shoes, a Coke can, a voting slip, sunglasses, sunscreen, lipstick, masks, disinfectant, a notebook, a bouquet of flowers ... an aelbag can be anything from a travel bag for a short city trip to a handy diaper bag.
aelbags does not aspire to become a profitmaking company, but rather wants to appeal to sustainable, alternative consumption in a world of abundance, mass production, wear and tear of materials and exploitation of labour. The question arises to what extent ethical consumption is possible under capitalism. aelbags dares to try to answer this question: at home in Hottingen, Alba, together with her mom, sews bag after bag. All aelbags are made from materials that are supposedly no longer useful. In the beginning, Alba cut up half of her wardrobe, later acquaintances and friends put old fabric scraps and pieces of clothing in her letterbox, so that new things can be created from old. This ensures a fair and sustainable production. Everything is handmade except for the logo, which is made in a German, oeko certified textile factory.
So the concept of aelbags is based on the idea of recycling and ensuring a certain accessibility for all. With impressive ease, Alba has succeeded in creating a label with that positions itself in a socially critical way, wants to normalise the consumption of used materials and conveys a feeling of being bad n’boujee.
‒ Sidonia Gnahoua