Diamond Weave Bag Spring Green × Forest Green 21mm 6 Cells｜PP Craft Bag - Trial No.7
Design & Craft
【Prototype】Fortuna Pearl 21mm Width: A Handbag with Luster and Geometric Patterns
- This piece is a prototype luxuriously crafted using "Fortuna Pearl (21mm width)," a material characterized by its silky smooth texture and elegant, pearl-like luster.
The main body features intricate and complex geometric patterns—such as diamond lattice, harlequin check, and diagonal check (Ichimatsu check)—expressed to maximize the material's beautiful texture.
Design and Unique Innovations
【Body Design】
- Material: Fortuna Pearl 21mm width
- Size: Designed with 10 squares wide (W) × 5 squares deep (D) × 6 squares high (H). The dimensions pursue a compact size while utilizing the feel of the 21mm width material.
- Design: The glossy material highlights the geometric patterns, which show various expressions depending on the reflection of light.
【Innovative Original Handle】
- This handle is an original specification by "Alaudae Japan," full of unique ideas.
- Weaving Technique: Woven using 12 strands of Fortuna Pearl 3mm width.
- Unique Innovation: Unprecedented and original ideas, such as weaving the handle onto a tube, have been adopted, demonstrating meticulous attention to detail.
- Specifications: Total length of 62 cm. It is secured with rivets at 8 points, but the rivet attachment points are concealed with decoration, enhancing the design aesthetic through attention to detail.
Product shape and dimensions
Making Story
From Pearl Prototype One onward, I made prototypes One through Four, but none of them fully satisfied me; each carried unresolved flaws and difficulties. So for this Prototype Nana (Seven) series, I went back to the weaving diagram and rebuilt it from the ground up, revising along the way until I reached a finish I could stand behind.
In particular, the approach I tried with Pearl Prototype Four, starting from the inner base, folding outward, and finishing at the outer base, required calculating the exact material length in advance. The catch was that this method could not produce a clean checkered or diamond pattern on both the inner and outer base. Partial splicing as in Prototype One or Two would make it work, but that would mean no real progress in technique and no shape that could honestly be called a finished product. I chose not to use that method this time.
For the handle, I adopted the 12-strand round weave I had established with Pearl Prototypes Five and Six. What sets this one apart is the cold-resistant tubing rated to -10°C used as the inner core, which lets the bag be used year-round, even in winter. The handle is slimmer than the one on Prototype Nana 12-mass and, at 50cm, the longest in the Prototype Nana series.
Covering the double-cap rivets with a decorative wrap of Fortuna Pearl was a technique I first tried on this 6-mass version. It is a way of using cut-off material rather than discarding it, both honoring the material and contributing in a small way to the plastic waste problem. The roughness of the joints, stitches, and stitch placement that I tried for the first time here was steadily refined through the 9-mass and 12-mass versions that followed.
Everything other than the brass in the rivets is 100% polypropylene and PVC, so it can be cleaned directly with water or wiped down with alcohol when soiled. Durability is not a concern outside of unusually rough handling. About 430g may feel light or heavy depending on the user, but considering the casual luxury it offers and the layered sturdiness of its build, the weight feels reasonable.
The Prototype Nana series, in 6, 9, and 12-mass versions, is not for sale. The pieces are being used by me and my family in everyday life so that durability and any issues can be observed first-hand. I will report on the experience through the website and blog, and use what we learn for promotion and future product development.
Product code: FMW21-CLT07M6 / Production: one piece only