Susan Bijl

The New Strap

After graduating from the Willem de Kooning Academy 25 years ago, Susan Bijl launched The new shopping bag as an alternative to plastic bags. The brand has since grown to include an extensive collection of bags made of colourful recycled nylon ripstop fabric and recycled polyester yarn. These are sold online and through Bijl’s two stores in Rotterdam. In the TextielLab’s passementerie department, she and designer Iñiy Sanchez developed a new strap for the bags and key rings.

In a departure from the usual monochrome flat strap, the designers experimented with a thicker, multi-coloured cord made from offcuts from regular production. After trying various techniques, the designers opted for kumihimo, a traditional Japanese braiding technique. The challenge was to turn the stiff flat strips of nylon into an attractive round braid. This was achieved by first twisting the fabric strips on the cord mill and then twisting the individual braids together. Each strap is composed of 12 strips of fabric, creating a bright, complex pattern. The new strap is now in production and has become part of the collection.

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Photos by Jan Bijl