+Strap – Giulia Chéhab (Switzerland)

Giulia Chéhab is an award-winning product and accessories designer living and working in Lausanne. Chéhab’s project, +Strap, can be affixed to any standard-size tote bag to let users distribute the bag’s weight across both shoulders like a backpack. Chéhab was inspired by watching attendees of Milan’s Salone del Mobile carrying branded tote bags throughout the duration of the fair. While tote bags have become a staple in the marketing and communications strategies of many brands, Chéhab noted that carrying the accumulated weight of promotional material on a single shoulder can cause tension and pain. The spongy and slightly padded properties of the knitted textiles by Kvadrat Febrik made them ideal for use as load-bearing materials. Chéhab used a range of Kvadrat Febrik textiles in her process.

Giulia Chéhab

Giulia Chéhab is a Lausanne-based product and accessories designer. With experience working at Stefan Diez Office in Munich, Christophe Marchand Design, and Acne Studios’ accessories department in Paris, she won the 2019 Prix Head x La Redoute with her Augmented Tote collection. She is now launching an eponymous accessories brand, alongside working as an assistant teacher at Lausanne University of Art and Design.