About
What is a FFIT Bag?
It is a stylish and functional multi-purpose tote that supports your active lifestyle. Whether you use it for the office, the gym or as a diaper bag, the versatile FFIT Bags are designed to go with you. FFIT Bags are rugged, water-resistant and made from 20% repurposed materials.
- Repurposed seat belts make up the bag straps.
- Repurposed bike inner tubes make up the "grab handles."
- Repurposed woven sailcloth material make of the exterior back pocket.
Who is behind FFIT Bags?
I’m Tiffany, a bay area native, and the “Tiff” in FFIT. I have a passion for sewing and a love for fabric. I lead an active lifestyle and wanted to design a bag to keep up. My challenge was to create one bag to take the place of multiple bags yet still be fun, functional, and durable. Incorporating repurposed materials was high on my list thus making up about 20% of the bag.
I design, cut, sew, photograph, and ship each FFIT Bag!
Why did you start making bags?
I went to SF Bay Area Maker Faire 2009 and had become so inspired by the "makers" and their wares that I came back telling my fiancee that my goal was to host my own booth at next year's Maker Faire. I didn't know what I was going to make, or how I was going to do it, but all I knew was that I wanted to do it.
How did the FFIT Bag become a mommy bag?
In January 2010 I had 4 baby showers to attend. I thought maybe these soon to be moms would be able to use the FFIT Bag as a diaper bag/purse. I decided to develop various sized bags. (The original FFIT Bag was my pilates bag/purse.)
What parts of the bag are recycled materials? Where do you get them?
The grab handles are repurposed/recycled bike inner tubes. I have a few collection boxes at my local bike shops. Most of my bag straps are repurposed seat belt webbing, from an auto recycling company. The back pocket is repurposed/recycled woven sailcloth remnant.
Why did you want to make a "green" bag?
I graduated from the UW Industrial Design program in Seattle, which emphasized the importance of "green" design. Incorporating recycled materials can be challenging as well as time consuming, but the added character and reduction of waste into our landfills makes it all worth while in the end.
What was your inspiration for creating these bags?
I have been inspired by my multi-tasking friends and family. It always seemed as if they needed three plus bags to get them through the day. I thought it would be useful to design one bag to take the place of multiple bags.
How long does it take to make a bag?
If I were to start and finish a single bag...it would take me anywhere from 8 to 10 hours to complete. However, creating them in larger batches drops them down to about 6-7 hours per bag depending on which features I'm including.
What do you hope for in the future?
I am thrilled that these FFIT Bags were so well received at this year's Maker Faire 2010! I am being encouraged by other "makers" to continue on this journey. My next goal is to design a bag for laptops and the iPad! I'm hoping to show at a few more craft fairs this year and am considering hiring help in the near future. :) Looking forward to creating the next line of FFIT Bags!