Tote bag.

For the Parsons x Teen Vogue course, I was assigned to design a tote bag and calculate the potential production costs, using materials from a previous assignment, which were – corduroy, chiffon, cotton and tweed.

At first, I created a paper mock up of the bag to see whether my design and measurements were practical or not.

Size: 35 cm x 40 cm

Straps : 56 cm

So, how does one calculate the production costs?

Figuring out how much of each material is needed is the key first step. Since the size of my bag is 35 cm x 40 cm and every fabric in my local store is 170cm wide, taking 35 cm of each fabric would provide enough material, while maintaining the potential waste low. As for the straps, which are 56 cm each and run along the entire length of the bag on the front side, which is additional 40 cm for each end, adds up to roughly 2 m of strap material needed. Those retail for 0.35€ /m, therefore 0.7€ in total.

Then you have to include your desired wage, the amount you would like to be paid for your work. For me this is 7€ /hour. Assuming the entire production would take 2 hours I added 14€ as well as the desired profit (20% for me). This number varies for each bag.

And you are done!

These are the four grids I ended up with.

For this specific tote bag I decided to use none of the aforementioned materials, and chose different, more appropriate one instead- a recycled velvet.

More on that in one of the upcoming posts!

See you next time!