QWSTION is a

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

bag company that was founded in 2008 by Sebastian Kruit,

industrial design Industrial design is a process of design applied to physical Product (business), products that are to be manufactured by mass production. It is the creative act of determining and defining a product's form and features, which takes place in advan ...

ers Christian Kaegi and Fabrice Aeberhard,

graphic designer A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography, or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, ...

Matthias Graf and Johannes Schoenegger. QWSTION creates bags and other products made from

natural material A natural material is any product or physical matter stop changing it. Minerals and the metals that can be extracted from them (without further modification) are also considered to belong into this category. Natural materials are used as building ma ...

s and have developed

Bananatex Bananatex is a natural cellulosic biodegradable "technical" canvas fabric made of Abacá banana plant fibres (also known as Manila hemp). The plants are grown in the Philippines as part of a sustainable forestry project in Catanduanes. Bananatex w ...

, a technical textile made from the fibres of the

Abacá Abacá ( ; fil, Abaka ), binomial name ''Musa textilis'', is a species of banana native to the Philippines, grown as a commercial crop in the Philippines, Ecuador, and Costa Rica. The plant, also known as Manila hemp, has great economic impor ...

banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", distinguis ...

plant.

History

The company was created to design bags that are ‘

sustainable Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livin ...

aesthetically Aesthetics, or esthetics, is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty and taste, as well as the philosophy of art (its own area of philosophy that comes out of aesthetics). It examines aesthetic values, often expressed th ...

pleasing and functional’ – attributes that, according to the founders, were not offered by existing products. The name QWSTION is a

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordslinen Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant. Linen is very strong, absorbent, and dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. It also ...

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...

canvas Canvas is an extremely durable plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, shelters, as a support for oil painting and for other items for which sturdiness is required, as well as in such fashion objects as handbags ...

. In 2014, the company produced their first in-house material development: a

Global Organic Textile Standard Global means of or referring to a globe and may also refer to: Entertainment * ''Global'' (Paul van Dyk album), 2003 * ''Global'' (Bunji Garlin album), 2007 * ''Global'' (Humanoid album), 1989 * ''Global'' (Todd Rundgren album), 2015 * Bruno ...

(GOTS) certified

organic Organic may refer to: * Organic, of or relating to an organism, a living entity * Organic, of or relating to an anatomical organ Chemistry * Organic matter, matter that has come from a once-living organism, is capable of decay or is the product ...

cotton canvas. In October 2018 QWSTION launched

, a technical textile they had developed from the fibres of the Abacá banana plant. The plants are grown in the Philippines using sustainable forestry practises and is so robust that it doesn't require any

pesticide Pesticides are substances that are meant to control pests. This includes herbicide, insecticide, nematicide, molluscicide, piscicide, avicide, rodenticide, bactericide, insect repellent, animal repellent, microbicide, fungicide, and lampri ...

fertilisers A fertilizer (American English) or fertiliser (British English; see spelling differences) is any material of natural or synthetic origin that is applied to soil or to plant tissues to supply plant nutrients. Fertilizers may be distinct from ...

or artificial

irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow Crop, crops, Landscape plant, landscape plants, and Lawn, lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,00 ...

. The raw fibres are processed into a functional fabric, coated with natural

wax Waxes are a diverse class of organic compounds that are lipophilic, malleable solids near ambient temperatures. They include higher alkanes and lipids, typically with melting points above about 40 °C (104 °F), melting to give low ...

for water-repellency. File:Freunde-von-Freunden-Qwstion-Company-Profile-Zurich.jpg, Design and development of QWSTION products in their Zurich studio. File:Freunde-von-Freunden-Qwstion-Company-Profile-Zurich 2.jpg, QWSTION doesn't follow the seasonal fashion calendar, they iterate on existing products, rather than creating new ones. The Daypack was launched in 2012 and is now in its 6th version. File:QWSTION holdall design process.jpg, Prototypes of the QWSTION holdall File:QWSTION minimal collection cutting pattern.jpg, Example of minimising material use in cutting patterns. File:40-QWSTION-BANANATEX-WARPING-LAUSCHSICHT.jpg, Bananatex fabric is created by working directly with the producers of the raw materials and the textile manufacturers.

Design

QWSTION designs its bags to be worn for multiple purposes including business and leisure as well as allowing easier repairability. File:QWSTION OFFICE-BAG ORGANIC-JETBLACK MCO.jpg, QWSTION bags have multiple carrying options, for example the Office Bag can be carried horizontally, or as a shoulder bag or as a backpack. File:QWSTION 1 for 2-System.jpg, Qwstion developed the 1-for-2-System which uses a unique buckle. The bag to be carried either over one shoulder or as a backpack. It is used on all bags with a shoulder strap; Weekender, Overnighter, Officebag, Simple Office, Office Tote. File:Bananatex Fabric Logo.jpg, Circlestitch is a stronger alternative to the box stitch/square stitch. It is used for bag straps because it is better at distributing tension when the strap is pulled diagonally, increasing the longevity of the bags. File:Qwstion-shopper-raw-blend-natural-leather-mco.jpg, The Simple-Strap system allows bags to be used in multiple ways e.g. from tote bag to shoulder bag to a backpack, it is used on the Shopper, Zipshopper, Day Tote, Tote and Small Tote.

Collaborations

QWSTION has collaborated with several other companies on products: * DNS: co developed with QWSTION a waterproof jacket made from very densely woven organic cotton fabric which is similar in design to fabric used by army parachutes used in World War 2. This collaboration was awarded the 2016 Bundespreis of Eco-Design Germany. * Lehni: co-developed an outdoor chair using the Bananatex fabric. * Rafael Kouto: the Swiss fashion designer worked with QWSTION to upcycle bags which had been returned. * Mover: QWSTION + Mover are both working to elimination of plastic from their products. They have collaborated to produce the Hip Pack, a lightweight bag for outdoor use. The limited edition bags are produced in Switzerland from QWSTION’s Cradle to Cradle Certified

material combined with wool and aluminium.

Products

QWSTION produces bags in both Bananatex and organic cotton.

Bananatex bags

File:Qwstion-lr-rollpack-v1-natural-white-front.jpg, Roll pack File:02-QWSTION-ZIP-PACK-LIMESTONE-FRONT.jpg, Zip pack File:Qwstion-lr-hippouch-v1-all-black-front.jpg, Zip pouch File:04-QWSTION-FLAP-TOTE-SMALL-SAND-FRONT.jpg, Flap tote small File:QWSTION-FLAP-TOTE-MEDIUM-ALL-BLACK-FRONT.jpg, Flap tote medium File:Qwstion-biolight-mini-pack-raven-front.jpg, Mini bucket File:Qwstion-biolight-small-bucket-raven-front.jpg, Small Bucket File:Qwstion-biolight-medium-bucket-raven-front.jpg, Medium bucket File:Qwstion-tote-bag-large-natural-white-heron-front-02.jpg, Tote Bag File:Qwstion-bananatex-sleeve-16-zoll-natural-white-3d-front.jpg, Laptop sleeve

Organic cotton bags

File:QWSTION BACKPACK WASHED-BLACK Front.jpg, Backpack File:Qwstion-daypack-organic-washed-grey-front.jpg, Daypack File:QWSTION TOTE-V4 ORGANIC-JETBLACK FRONT.jpg, Tote File:Qwstion-halfday-tote-vegan-driftwood-front.jpg, Vegan halfday tote File:QWSTION-LR-OFFICE-BAG-ORGANIC-MIDNIGHT-BLUE-FRONT.jpg, Office bag File:QWSTION SIMPLE-HOLDALL RAW-BLEND-LEATHER FRONT.jpg, Simple Holdall File:Qwstion-weekender-organic-jet-black-front.jpg, Weekender File:QWSTION SS14 HONEYMUSTARD OVERNIGHTER FRONT.jpg, Overnighter File:Qwstion-travel-kit-organic-washed-black.jpg, Travel kit File:QWSTION toiletry kit.jpg, Toiletry kit

Production

QWSTION sources and develops almost all materials itself in collaboration with suppliers. The company focuses on sustainability, using natural materials instead of plastics and other processes which pollute the environment. QWSTION works with three manufacturing partners in Switzerland,

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

and the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

. T&S, QWSTION's partner in

Huizhou Huizhou ( zh, c= ) is a city in central-east Guangdong Province, China, forty-three miles north of Hong Kong. Huizhou borders the provincial capital of Guangzhou to the west, Shenzhen and Dongguan to the southwest, Shaoguan to the north, Heyua ...

, China, is Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI) certified. Nähwerk, a Charity initiative in

Zürich Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...

, Switzerland, produces the smaller or limited quantity products e.g. QWSTION + Kunsthaus Zurich Shoppers and Etuis. File:08-QWSTION-BANANATEX-ABACA-HARVEST-4-©-QWSTION.jpg, Abaca harvesting File:13-QWSTION-BANANATEX-FIBRE-TUXYING-2-©-LAUSCHSICHT.jpg, Abaca fibre tuxying File:22-QWSTION-BANANATEX-FIBRES-4-©-LAUSCHSICHT.jpg, Abaca fibre drying File:34-QWSTION-BANANATEX-YARN-SPINNING-©-QWSTION.jpg, Abaca yarn spinning File:37-QWSTION-BANANATEX-WEAVING-2-©-LAUSCHSICHT.jpg, Abaca yarn weaving File:54-QWSTION-BANANATEX-SEWING-3-©-LAUSCHSICHT.jpg, Bananatex bag sewing

Distribution

The QWSTION online shop sells to over 100 countries, the company also has over 50 retail partners in 15 countries.

Stores

QWSTION has four physical stores in Zurich, Lausanne, Basel and Vienna. The Basel store is shared with Swiss care products brand Soeder. File:Qwstion store in Zurich.jpg, QWSTION store in Zurich File:QWSTION STORE LAUSANNE 01.jpg, QWSTION store in

Lausanne , neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR-74), ...

File:Qwstion store in Vienna.jpg, QWSTION store in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

File:Qwstion and Soeder store in Basel.jpg, QWSTION & Söder store in

Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...

Legal

QWSTION AG is a registered public limited company in Zurich, Switzerland. All operational business is run through QWSTION International GmbH in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

and QWSTION Schweiz GmbH in Switzerland.

AG is a spin off company registered in

Zug , neighboring_municipalities = Cham, Baar, Walchwil, Steinhausen, Unterägeri , twintowns = Fürstenfeld (Austria), Kalesija (Bosnia-Herzegowina) Zug (Standard German: , Alemannic German: ; french: Zoug it, Zugo r ...

, Switzerland.

Awards and certificates

QWSTION has been awarded several prizes, most of them for sustainability and the development of Bananatex. * 2021: Cradle-to-cradle certification® Gold * 2021: German Sustainability Award 2021 Winner, Pioneers * 2019: German Federal Ecodesign Award 2019 Winner (Bundespreis Ecodesign 2019), Bananatex® by QWSTION * 2019: Design Preis Schweiz Winner, Textile Design * 2019: Green Product Award 2019 Winner, Material for Bananatex® by QWSTION * 2019: Cannes Corporate Media and TV Awards 2019 – Gold in category: Marketing Communication B2C for Bananatex * 2019: Holzbaupreis Tirol 2019 Winner (Wood Building Prize 2019), Commercial Building for QWSTION International GmbH, Seefeld, Austria * 2018: Goldener Hase Winner, Design for Bananatex® by QWSTION * 2016: German Federal Ecodesign Award 2016 Winner (Bundespreis Ecodesign 2016), Product for All-Weather-Coat by QWSTION and DNS{{Cite web , last=Berlin , first=I. D. Z. , title=Bananatex® by QWSTION , url=https://bundespreis-ecodesign.de/en , access-date=2022-04-01 , website=bundespreis-ecodesign.de , language=en

External links

QWSTION website

Bananatex website

References

Bags (fashion) Fashion Textile companies