The Royal Mail Bag

The Iconic Sack

After finding a discarded grey Royal Mail sack we decided to experiment and make a bag to be used to carry heavy items from our workshop to warehouses and studios. The durability and the spaciousness made this the perfect bag to carry materials, tools and then eventually heavy food shopping. 

We loved the innovative and simple design and of course the playfulness of using such an iconic UK item that we all come across in our day to day life. After gaining permission from Royal Mail to upcycle and sell these sacks as new durable bags, we went full steam ahead! 

The Process

All Royal Mail grey sacks are recycled once they are too worn to be used. We intervene in the process by taking them just before they are sent to be recycled, mend the holes, make them into a bags using quality materials and give them a new life. 

Mending the Holes

Each bag is totally unique because of the mended holes on the body. The holes are covered up in patches made out of the shell material that are sewn onto the bag as shown in the photo. The amount of holes on each bag will completely depend on the sack itself.

The Materials

Each grey sack is 100% plastic that is woven to give it the durability and strength to carry up to 11kg - as written on the sack itself! 

To create The Royal Mail Bag we use the original woven plastic material as the shell, a polyester lining and responsibly sourced leather as eyelet reinforcers and handles.

Polyester Lining

When choosing the lining for The Royal Mail Bag we wanted to use something that was durable and sustainable. Using recycled polyester was on the top of our list as we know that the durable structure of polyester will compliment the bag well. However, being part of a factory that have been producing accessories over the past 10+ years means that we have access to dead stock fabrics that have been donated to the factory by fabric shops. Dead stock fabric is useful to create samples and mockups however we usually end up with more of it than needed. Instead of throwing it out we decided to use a white polyester roll that is both strong and good quality. Using up the good quality fabrics that we already own seemed to us like the most perfect solution!

With that in mind, we want to encourage our customers to either recycle The Royal Mail Bag by unpicking each component and recycling them individually or sending us the bag so that we can do this in house.

The strength and resilience of both materials working together means that the bag will live with you for many, many years.