Day to Night Bag

Year: 2025
Duration: 2 months
Type: Industrial Design

A bag that carries a city day into the night, designed from interviews with women in their mid-twenties to early thirties. Three exterior webbing loops take carabiners, earplugs and clip-on accessories; a mesh side pocket holds a water bottle; the lined interior fits a 13” laptop or iPad; and four diagonal outer pockets keep small essentials — lip balm, keys, sanitiser — visible and easy to reach. The adjustable strap wears on the shoulder or crossbody, for bike commutes and dancing.

01Final prototype

Adjustable strap for shoulder or crossbody wear · exterior water bottle pocket · smooth lined interior and external pockets · 3/4” webbing loops for keys and small items.

02Research

A customer profile and six interviews on what women carry from day to night, and what goes wrong.

Who she is

Highly organised but playful. Works 9 to 5, hits the gym after, then a gallery opening or drinks. Weekends are the park, thrifting, a cocktail bar, a house party. Several times a year, a multi-day camping festival or a trip to another city’s clubs.

Age: 18–35, in a major city: Berlin, London, New York, Paris
Gets around: Bike and public transport
Work: Career-focused but creative: designer, freelancer, tech, student
Spends: $100–250+ on a bag if it’s cool, functional and expressive
Loves: Niche, nostalgic brands: Diesel, George Gina & Lucy, Juicy Couture

Six interviews

Women in their twenties and thirties on what they carry, how many bags they rotate between, and what goes wrong.

Saaya, 31 — 3Bartender / illustratorNew York

Carla, 26 — 5Community food managerNew York

The work bag

Ela, 24

Aleks, 26

Carla, 26

“I don’t like to have stuff floating around the bottom of my bag.”
Adri, on her puffer backpack’s zip pockets

“Wish it was more ergonomic and had more pockets.”
Juju, on commuting

“Mine is ugly and unflattering… but keeps me humble.”
Carla, on her backpack

Insight 01

Comfortable

Hands-free, usually a backpack: ergonomic and secure.

Insight 02

Internal structure

A laptop zone, zip pockets for essentials, no clutter at the bottom.

Insight 03

Function and style

Durable for the daily grind, but something that feels good to wear.

The party bag

Ela, 24

Juju, 27

“I tighten it to my body so it doesn’t flop anywhere.”
Saaya, on her mini Telfar at the club

“I carabiner my earplugs. Can’t survive without those.”
Adri, on her club setup

“Purses interfere with my periphery and make me claustrophobic.”
Carla, on avoiding shoulder bags at night

Insight 01

Hands-free, secure strap

Tight to the body (crossbody, chest rig, fanny pack) so it doesn’t bounce or slide.

Insight 02

Exterior hardware

Loops, D-rings and carabiner points for earplugs, charms, hair ties, lighters.

Insight 03

External pockets

Small things within reach without opening the bag.

What has to fit

What the six carry, sorted by where they carry it. The essentials go in every bag, day or night.

Requirements

Needs to fit

A 13″ laptop or iPad, a small book or notebook, wallet, keys, ID, glasses and case, and small things: lip gloss, lighters, AirPods.

Structure

Small items that usually sink to the bottom get exterior loops or a run of small outside pockets, so they’re quick to reach.

03Concept development

Three directions, each pairing a commuter bag with a hands-free night bag.

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AHard Shell

1Pocket in the strap, backed with medium-weight warp-knit polyester mesh
2Loops for hardware
3Opening snaps to the front or back, so the contents are easy to reach inside the purse
4Loops on the back slide onto the canvas strap to wear it as a fanny pack

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BPin Up

1Pocket in the strap, backed with medium-weight warp-knit polyester mesh
2Polyester cord
3Two loops to thread the canvas strap through, adjustable
4Zipper in the strap
5The strap loops and flattens into the back when attached to the bag
6Plain-weave cotton in light blue and taupe
7Worn on the waist or across the chest

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CRoll Up

1Unrolls to find the contents easily
2Medium-weight warp-knit polyester mesh under the strap
3Two loops to thread the canvas strap through
4The roll-up attaches to the side of the purse
5Strong poly-cotton canvas strap, 1.5″ wide
6Glossy 100% polyester
7The strap loops into the back when attached
8Knotted paracord
9Plain-weave cotton
10Loops for carabiners

Final design

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1 · Colour

Palette updated to the fabric that was available.

2 · Pockets

Curved pockets wasted space, so they became rectilinear.

3 · One bag

The extra pouch was dropped: exterior pockets and loops do the job.

1 · ColourPalette updated to the fabric that was available.
2 · PocketsCurved pockets wasted space, so they became rectilinear.
3 · One bagThe extra pouch was dropped: exterior pockets and loops do the job.

04Paper models and pattern

Brown paper models prototyped the form; the first (15 × 5 × 13”) was too bulky, so the outer bag was removed and it was scaled to 13.5 × 3.5 × 12.5”. Seams were marked and the model was cut apart and traced to pattern paper with grainlines, names and crossmarks.

05Muslin prototype

A full-scale muslin with the final hardware, zippers and strap, used to expand the pockets and adjust seam allowances for the zippers.

06Materials

Exterior: 4 oz water-repellent nylon taslan, interfaced. Lining: lightweight woven nylon. Pockets: polyester diamond-knit mesh. Polypropylene webbing straps and loops, 1” D-rings and strap adjuster, 3/8” elastic trim, custom zipper pull.