Topographic Tote Tote Bag by Ho Kuan Teck is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2020 Silver A' Design Award in Fashion and Travel Accessories Design Competition Category.
SilverAccessory· 2020
Topographic Tote Tote Bag
by Ho Kuan Teck
Client: MyurÂ
Silver A' Design Award Winner in Accessory Category
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #97072The Design
About Topographic Tote Tote Bag
Topographic inspired design tote bag, to serve as an easy carryall, especially during those busy days spent shopping or running errands. The Tote bag capacity is like a mountain and can hold or carry many things. The oracle bone is form the overall structure of the bag, the topographic map form to be surface material just like a mountain uneven surface.
The Recognition
About the Silver A' Design Award
Topographic Tote Tote Bag is a Silver A' Design Award winner, an extraordinarily prestigious recognition granted to top-of-the-line, gorgeous, and impressive designs. Silver winners are tremendously brilliant and exceedingly creative works that illustrate the outstanding expertise, talent, and acuity of their designers. Topographic Tote Tote Bag is expected to be a wonderful, showpiece work that is remarkably professional and profoundly innovative. This Silver A' Design Award-winning design is a highly notable, admired invention that benefits and advances the boundaries of art, science, design, and technology. Topographic Tote Tote Bag is a vastly envied creation that evokes desires, introduces positive feelings, and sparks amazement and wonderment.
Where to Get It
Handcrafted Luxury Leather Bags
We create exceptional leather accessories inspired by nature's forms. Each piece is meticulously handcrafted in Singapore using premium Italian calf leather and traditional artisan techniques. Our award-winning designs combine innovative aesthetics with timeless elegance.
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Design Interview
What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?
The main principle behind the Totepographic Tote is to connect fashion with nature and culture. It is inspired by topographic maps and the Chinese oracle bone character for "mountain," combining these elements into a functional and artistic tote bag. The black color represents minerals in nature, symbolizing hidden beauty and discovery.
What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?
The focus was to create a bag that is not only practical and durable but also serves as a bridge between traditional culture and modern lifestyles. I aimed to evoke curiosity and appreciation for the subtle details of the design while ensuring it meets the functional needs of daily life.
What are your future plans for this award winning design?
The Totepographic Tote will continue to be available through Myura's online platform and exclusive pop-up events. I also plan to explore potential collaborations with art exhibitions and fashion shows to reach a broader audience.
Grand Interview
Your innovative fusion of topographic maps and Chinese oracle bones in the Topographic Tote Tote Bag creates a unique visual narrative - could you walk us through the creative journey that led to this distinctive combination of ancient symbolism and natural terrain?
The inspiration came from blending natural landscapes with ancient culture. This creative journey began with a fascination for natural terrains, particularly the structure and layers of mountains. To add cultural depth, I incorporated symbols from Chinese oracle bones, creating a dialogue between humanity and nature, history and the modern era. This unique fusion conveys an interweaving of time and space through the design of the tote bag.
The handcrafted nature of the Topographic Tote Tote Bag, particularly its hand-cut panels and painted edges, speaks to exceptional artisanal quality - how does this traditional craftsmanship approach enhance the bag's connection to its nature-inspired concept?
The handcrafted techniques of cutting and edge painting add an artistic touch to the tote, making the texture closer to the nature-inspired theme. Traditional craftsmanship brings each detail to life, creating a one-of-a-kind texture and echoing the diversity of nature. This process enhances the material quality, connecting the design more deeply with nature and providing both visual and tactile appeal.
As a Silver A' Design Award winner, the Topographic Tote Tote Bag stands out for its marriage of functionality and artistic expression - what inspired you to translate the concept of mountainous capacity into such a sophisticated everyday accessory?
The idea of mountainous capacity symbolizes vastness and inclusiveness, and I wanted to translate this concept into an accessory that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing. Inspired by the grand structure of mountains, this design strikes a balance between practicality and beauty, meeting everyday needs while showcasing the unique taste of the user.
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- Totepographic is an inspired design tote bag. Crafted in premium Italian calf leather and treated to last for years of wear, the spacious interior compartments are lined with suede fabric that is soft to the touch, and creates a luxuries feeling. Its aesthetic is shape and spacious, to serve as an easy carryall, especially during those busy days spent shopping or running errands. The Totepographic bag capacity is like a mountain and can hold or carry many things.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Length: 42 cm, Height: 26cm, Width: 14 cm Handle
height: 18.5cm - Tags
- Tote bag, accessory, handmade, elegant, stylish, luxurious
- Production Technology
- Totepographic is handmade in Singapore with a traditional artisan way to sampling and produce. All panels are hand cut, bonded and stitch. The raw edges are painted by hand with a semi-gloss polymer for durability and aesthetic purposes. A environmental - friendly linen thread is used for strength and longevity.
- Design Challenge
- There was no easy way to create a Totepographic with few sketches and also it can't translate well with paper mock-up. It took a lot more development time and test than common bag does, especially at the mock-up session. 3D software is help a lot in develop this bag, I can refine and test the result quickly in the software and it's more productive than traditional way to making this bag design and I can spot out the error in short time.
- Research
- I have designed many bags and I have learned how to compile market research, how to develop my designs and construction techniques with traditional way, communicate with suppliers to made special material to fulfill the design needs. Most importantly, how to evaluate the designs from the perspective of the consumer yet it reflect the lifestyle that interacts with nature in the most direct way
- Inspiration
- I love nature and always have a though to make a bag relate to nature and environment. I always believe the design is relate to life and nature, therefore the Totepographic is being design. This tote bag is inspired from topographic and Chinese oracle bones "mountain". In combination with topographic and ancient word to form a wearable tote bag. It's conceptualized with Chinese ancient word and puts the topographic element into the design style. Black is to represent minerals element it also make the bag more secretive, and people will slowly discover the texture of the bag.
- Project Duration
- From design concept and production of Totepographic is started in July 2019 and was completed in May 2020. The product is for sale online through the Myura brand website, and pop-up event in Singapore.
- Operation Flow
- Totepographic is highly functional in its geometrical shape and yet, reflects a secretive and unique fashion style. Primarily used as a fashion accessory for easy carrying belongings while traveling during the day and night.
- Patents
- Copyrights belong to Kuan Teck Ho, 2020
- Image Credits
- Kuan Teck Ho, 2020.
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