Bags For a Lifetime

Sustainability and fashion – do they really go together? Many people still prefer “fast fashion”. Low-price fashion, easily to replace and mainly produced in Asia with highly toxic materials that are harmful for people and environment under inhumane conditions. By the time it has reached our shops, it has already traveled around half the globe – again harmful for the environment. High time for a change. But sustainable fashion still has the touch of “Jesus sandals” and jute bags. 

Yet, there is another way. Tikiwe® is the living proof that sustainable fashion can be stylish after all. The young label is totally committed to sustainability and still its cork bags are trendy, chic, colorful and well thought out. 

Sustainable and pretty: Tikiwe bags

Who is behind Tikiwe®, what is the meaning of this exotic name and why bags made of cork? I drove to beautiful Haag in Bavaria, where the label has moved to recently, to get answers to these and many more questions.

Irene Kirchhoff & me

Irene Kirchhoff, founder and designer, is a woman that cannot be pigeonholed. And so it is no surprise that she hasn't moved Tikiwe® into a “normal“ apartment but resides in the former Haag County Prison. 

“The light is very good here and it is very spacious”, she answers pragmatically when I want to know why she has chosen this place of all. Many friends had tried to talk her out of moving here, she says while pouring me a cup of coffee. They thought this place must have bad karma. “But it hadn't been a penitentiary, 'only' petty criminals were doing time here.” To Irene Kirchhoff, this place is very inspiring, as is Haag, her new home. “Haag is pure inspiration to me”, says Munich-born Irene, who has meanwhile become a self-confessed citizen of Haag. The view from her living-room window inspires her as well. You can see the castle-tower from there. There is a huge tree in front of it, making it look like the tower actually has a face. “This tower has become my buddy, we communicate”, says Irene, “Haag and my 'jail-apartment' ground me and that is extremely important for my creativity.” 

An original  cell door - two of them are still in Irene's apartment

When did Irene come up with the idea of working with cork? “That was a coincidence”, she remembers. She has always been fascinated by colors and patterns. As a young girl, she would have loved to become a goldsmith. Unfortunately, that didn't work out. So she took an apprenticeship in a jeweler's shop, selling watches and jewelry and growing fond of sales and distribution. But after many years in that field she felt worn out, quit her job and took a vacation. She wanted to find peace of mind and time to regroup. Yet, since there are no coincidences in life (see above), she strolled through her holiday destination, discovered cork products in a shop window and was fascinated right away. Cork and Irene – love at first sight! 

Yet, it was still a long way to go until Tikiwe® was founded. In November 2016, Irene started doing research to find out if there was a market for cork products at all. She registered her trade in February 2017 and started selling. “Back then, I used to sell ready-made bags only, thinking 'That's what I actually want to do'”, says Irene. “But of course, I was a bit scared because that meant investing a lot of money for material and production”, she remembers. “But one day, I summoned my courage and told myself 'Just do it!' and so I changed my trading agency to the label Tikiwe®.” Thank God, for otherwise, all these wonderful designer pieces would have been kept back from us. 

What does Tikiwe® mean? Irene chuckles. “I was trying to come up with a name that was still free. No easy job. Eventually, I remembered my philosophy and that I want to create something lasting. So I thought of the German word for eternity - “Ewigkeit”. I spelled it backwords and left out one “e” and and the “g” and got Tikiwe®“. 

Being a young label is definitely not easy. “I can only go step by step”, says Irene. “Right now, I use the money I get from selling one model to produce the next one.” At the moment, that much I am allowed to reveal, she is working on a variable shopping bag. Among other things, Tikiwe® distinguishes itself by creating bags that are very well thought out and variable. The models “Wave” and “Mini”, for instance, come with exchangeable covers in multiple colors. So you can create different looks with the same bag. This is another contribution to sustainability. 

Tikiwe "Wave" - more colors available

Tikiwe "Mini" - more colors available

And Irene is all about sustainability. She only uses cork mounted on fabric. There is also cork mounted on polyurethane. “But that is not biodegradable, thus a contradiction in itself. But it is cheaper.” Cheap productions is strictly against Irene's philosophy. Quality is extremely important to her and that is the reason why she imports her cork from Portugal. “It is the best quality. My products have an upper price limit but they are not cheap”, explains Irene. “They are worth their price.” Her bags are sewed in Portugal as well as the search for a German sewing factory has not been successful yet. Cork production is still not so popular here. “The Portuguese know their business and the distance is not that long”, she says. Irene cooperates with a factory that does not employ compulsory workers. “All the workers get country-specific wages, that was crucial for me. That, too, is sustainability.”

Sustainability has three pillars: environmental protection but also human and animal welfare. Tikiwe® lives up to these pillars. The label is PETA certified, no animal products are used, not even the adhesives contain bone glue. “And my bags are fully absorbable”, Irene emphasizes. “Should they fall to pieces one fine day, the cork could be used for coasters or insulating material, the fabric, too, or it could be newly mounted. The metal parts can be molten.” “Zero waste” is Irene's goal. “But I haven't reached that yet because the lining stil is 70 % cotton and 30 % polyester. Both are not environmental-friendly. I am still working on that but haven't found anything yet. But I am thinking about a solution.”

Thinking – that is something Irene does almost constantly. She might cuddle up in front of her tv and all of a sudden, she comes up with an idea for a new bag. “Then I have to let it sink in for a few days but after that, I just sit down and try it”, she says. “But that is time-consuming because I also have to design the sewing pattern first. Sometimes, I have incredibly good ideas but unfortunately, they cannot be put into practice. Well, then, I just have to rip everything again.” With a grin, she shows me a tiny tool. “That is my most important helper – my seam ripper! I'd be lost without it. Sometimes, it has to work harder  than my sewing machine”, Irene laughs. 

The famous seam ripper

Irene's sewing machine

But there comes the time when the sample bag is finished and is sent off to the factory along with the pattern and requested colors. “That is a very interesting time for sometimes, I get a totally different bag than the one I sent in.” After three or four attempts, however, everything is to Irene's satisfaction and the bag can go in production. This process can take up to six months. 

By the way, Tikiwe® is not for ladies only! The laptop bags, like the very first model “Business” are also fit for gentlemen. Meanwhile, the collection has grown and is supplemented by a small jewelry collection – also designed by Irene and, of course, also made of cork with a nickel-free alloy.

Parts of the jewelry collection

The ways to buy Tikiwe® pieces are as versatile as the label itself. If you want to select and buy in the comfort of your own home, maybe with some friends while having a glass of wine, you can book Irene for a bag party. Tikiwe® products are also available in some shops in Switzerland, Austria and Eastern Germany. Since 08 September 2018, the pieces can also be ordered through the Tikiwe® online shop.

Irene has a lot of plans for the future and is busy working on extending her collections. One thing is and will always be important to her: the “slow fashion" principle - a collection that can be built up on instead of constantly having to buy new pieces.

Designer and sales pro with a lot of heart's blood – we will hear and see a lot from Irene Kirchhoff and Tikiwe® in the future – no doubt about that!

https://tikiwe.com

Photos: private (6), Tikiwe (3)