While I was ordering more jesso to use for this Bryant, the weather forecast delivered me shocking news. Our last weekend session was cancelled due to a typhoon, but one more typhoon was about to strike Jeju this weekend! Even more, the next weekend would be accompanied by a heavy thunderstorm, and I really did not want to paint murals in a murderous typhoon. But I also thought that these storms are actually quite common here in Jeju, so I should devise some plans on what to do during heavy rainfall. So here I am, trying to find anything novel to do for next week. Then, one of my previous plans caught my eye: startups.
I met some of my friends in the service team to devise some ideas about what products to sell, and we agreed to make eco-bags from unused cloth. At first, we decided to gather thrown away clothes or bags, but gathering enough cloth for a dozen people to make was harder than we thought. In the mainland, there are fake old clothes boxes (official ones are made by the government or local municipalities) made by swindlers that claim that they are donating the clothes. As this fraudery is quite an issue in the mainland, we could’ve used such leftover fabric, but we couldn’t find any of the fake clothes boxes in Jeju.
Meetings in the Library
Then, we came across the idea of using leftover fabric. After using fabric to create clothes, they were thrown away or sometimes sold at low prices. But these fabrics, especially the vibrant ones, are also a cause of pollution due to the chemicals they contain. Thus, we decided to incorporate the design of a bojagi–a Korean traditional quilt–into laptop pouches. After researching, we decided that oxford and canvas fabric would be the best kind of fabric for this use.
We also found fusing–a technique that fuses plastic bags together to form a rigid, durable layer of plastic that could be used like fabric. Our original plan was to use the fused plastic instead of fabric, but fused plastic was wrinkled and easily scratched, suggesting that it might not be suitable for the outer layer. We then turned to the idea of tote bags, which required a rigid layer between the two layers of fabric.
For the design, we will print the number of plastic boxes used on the bags and pouches in minimalistic fonts. After selling these products, we will use the profit for our next project or donate it to environmental NGOs or preservation groups.
Finalizing Tote Bag Designs
So our final ideas are as follows:
1. A tote bag created from plastic bags and leftover fabric
2. A laptop pouch created from plastic bags and leftover fabric
3. A small pouch/pencil case created from plastic bags and leftover fabric.
The design will be as follows:
1. Fusion of bojagi and pouches
2. Print on one side the number of plastic bags used
3. Print on the other side a memorable phrase or a slogan about the environment
(e,g,, The climate is changing. Are we?)
Prints will be in minimalistic Helevatica fonts.
Profit will be used as the following:
1. For future projects
2. Donated to environmental NGOs or conservation groups
3. Local municipalities for conservation efforts.
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