Airbō: Haute couture from the junkyard

Why are bags made of airbag fabric? Although it is a very technical material, it has many properties that are ideal for bags. „Because it has to withstand impact, it is a very durable material that cannot be cut easily. It's non-flammable, and yet it's very light, soft, and has a silky sheen. It is actually – perhaps a little surprisingly – a very beautiful textile,“ says Pavla Podsedníková.

Pavla is one of the two designers and co-founders of the Naran studio behind the Airbō brand. She and Markéta Šohajová were clear about the studio's focus on upcycling from the very beginning. But they had been searching for the right material for a long time - and when they got their hands on some retired airbags, they knew they had found it.

Crash & Carry: Bags made from airbag popcorn

For most cars, airbags (thankfully) never have to go off. But when they do, something called airbag popcorn occurs. „A new car can have up to 25 airbags. Each has a different shape, the steering wheel airbag is round, the passenger airbag is kidney-shaped, it's really very varied,“ explains Pavla Podsedníková. Bags with airbags of different shapes are bought up by designers directly at scrap yards. For a long time, they also adapted to the shapes of the bags: the large ones were used for backpacks, the smaller ones for small bags. But they were very dependent on what material they could get at the scrap yard, and – what bothered them more – with their best efforts to use as much material as possible, they were left with some waste. So they looked for ways to use it, to optimise production, and to change the cut of each product. And with this goal in mind, they signed up for the Up2Circ programme.

Up2Circ: a shift in 3 areas and 100% of the airbag fabric used

Participation in the programme has fundamentally advanced them in three areas: 1. they found a way to process waste material, 2. they found a use for this material and 3. they optimised the cut of the bags. As a result, they have significantly less waste material and are now grinding it into fine cotton wool, which they are filling with a new product: the so-called pouffes for yoga studios. „The product is partly upcycled and partly downcycled. But we are currently completely waste-free,“ smiles Pavla Podsedníková.

Another great benefit of the Up2Circ programme was the external consultation with a waste expert. The idea of using waste material is more than commendable, but with good intentions, you can run into legislative obstacles. „We're not officially a waste processor, so it's quite complex legislation. The programme has pushed us to find ways to recover waste material from scrap yards in the future,“ explains Pavla Podsedníková. 

Repairs? Back in fashion

At Airbō, you'll experience what used to be quite common: repairing broken things. „The material of the product itself is very durable, but after prolonged use, things like a zipper can happen. We are committed to fixing whatever breaks for a fixed amount,“ says Pavla Podsedníková. She believes that repairs should be a normal part of thinking about products. And the studio's vision for the future? In the Czech Republic alone, about 140,000 cars end up in landfills every year. There are currently about 1.4 billion of them driving around the world, and they are – thankfully – getting safer. But it does mean that waste airbags are increasing. That's why the designers would like to continue the Up2Circ programme in the next round. „We want to find a way to process airbags in other industries and thus help to save an important part of this unique material,“ says Pavla Podsedníková.