A Bag as Immense as History: The Tale of Fabric Bags
A fabric bag is no longer just a simple tool for carrying and storing items. Nowadays, fabric bags symbolize simplicity, sustainability, and even fashion. But behind the sewn fabric lies a history that stretches from ancient Egypt to the modern streets.
Long, long ago ancient people filled their fabric bags with grains, herbs, and small items. During the Middle Ages, these bags were tied around the waist, serving both to store coins and to display the social status of their owners. European noblewomen carried embroidered bags, which later became known as reticules and evolved into the predecessors of the modern handbags.
Over the centuries, the fabric bags took on a new form. In the 19th and 20th centuries, both elegance and practicality breathed new life into them. However, the turning point came in the 1960s, when environmental movements and the hippie lifestyle brought large, simple fabric bags back into fashion.
Today, fabric bags, AKA tote bags, are no longer just a substitute for plastic bags. Fashion brands, universities, and even book fairs use them as a fresh identity—a blend of simplicity, culture, and a silent protest against consumerism.
Fabric bags might be among the simplest human inventions, but the still have much to say. Each time one of them rests on our shoulder, we carry a piece of history with us.
