Crunch Bags

Ilvy Jacobs is a product designer who questions the nature of everyday objects by juxtaposing them with unconventional materials. She emphasises tactility and usability through her bag designs.

For her Crunch Bag, Jacobs wrinkled and glued cardboard-like waste paper to unbleached cotton, creating a long-lasting, robust material. Her vision of common sports bags – gym, tennis and bowling bags – reworked with this unique material resulted in a series that has a lived-in, comfortable aesthetic that enhances pleasure of use. Signs of wear and discolouration add to the bags’ appeal. While gym bags are usually made of inorganic, ‘high-tech’ materials designed for wicking sweat and carrying heavy loads, the Crunch Bag recognizes the utility of organic materials and combines two of these in a way that amplifies their separate qualities.