HOW WAS THE BRAND CREATED?
In our first story, we will give the floor to Maja Słowikowska - the creator and designer of the Solage brand. Her design projects have been awarded internationally for years, including in Paris, Budapest, London, Los Angeles and in Taiwan, Asia. The Solage brand premiered at the end of August 2023 and was created out of the desire to bring beauty and quality to areas that are overlooked by many in fashion. The brand's first project is to propose a completely new style for laptop backpacks and create a quality, elegant and non-exclusive product out of them.
The idea to create a brand was born in my head in 2019. At that time, I was an intern in one of Warsaw's design offices and I often moved around with my laptop. I wanted greater comfort than that offered by bags, handbags or briefcases that could hold laptops, which are the only ones on the market targeted at users like me - professionally active women who pay attention to the objects they surround themselves with. Laptop backpacks available on the market usually have massive, sporty and masculine designs. It is incomprehensible to me why the marketing and design of an item associated with active professional work is so strongly aimed at one gender, while we women are given products that provide much less comfort. I also believe that in contemporary design we should move away from assigning products to gender, as this causes many exclusions.
Sketches of the first laptop backpacks from the "Solage" brand were created in 2021. I wanted to create a product that would not exclude anyone, and whose aesthetics would adapt to many styles and contexts in which it will be found, making it a product that transcends divisions. When releasing a new product to the market, we should look at it holistically, taking into account the many contexts in which it will be found. I created Solage backpacks in the spirit of timeless design and conscious local production, which means that the backpack will be used much longer and its production is sustainable.
The next step was to cooperate with local leather workshops and component suppliers. Production and prototype activities lasted for the next two years, and the final version of the laptop backpack was preceded by many prototypes and changes in the initial designs in order to obtain the best possible quality and functionality of the backpack. Even though I already had design experience, I had never worked with the implementation of this type of product on the market, which required me to learn about the industry and its specifics. This process was greatly helped by the fact that I come from a family of people passionate about fashion and from an early age I witnessed fashion disputes. It was knowledge that I had collected over the years and that I could use. I wanted to create a laptop backpack of the highest possible quality, functionality and, above all, produced with respect for workers' rights. The production of Solage backpacks takes place 100% in Polish leather factories, with which we are in constant contact. In addition, we purchase all components used in production from local wholesalers, thus supporting the Polish market even more.
Creating the Solage brand was a long and very interesting adventure. That's why I'm even more happy that after these few years I can share with you my new product, a leather laptop backpack. I hope you will love him as much as I do and he will become your best friend.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people who contributed to the creation of the Solage brand.
- To every person who contributes to the production of backpacks, because they add a part of themselves to them
- Mateusz Piechuta for wonderful photo sessions
- Żaneta Czypionka for cooperation in creating the logo and product photos
- Mikołaj Brzostowski for irreplaceable IT help
Thank you for reading this story, see you soon! Maja Słowikowska
//// leather laptop backpack, women's leather laptop backpack, men's leather laptop backpack, laptop backpack, 13-inch laptop backpack, 14-inch laptop backpack, 15-inch laptop backpack, Polish clothing brand, Polish production, design