What do you get when you cross a truck, a car, and a bike? No, the answer is not some new vehicle; it’s a fashionable messenger bag!

Frietag was invented out of necessity in 1993 when brothers Markus and Daniel Freitag needed a functional and water-repellent messenger bag to carry their graphic designs as they biked to work.

Passing trucks with water-resistant tarpaulins were the answer they were looking for.  This heavy duty material was combined with a car seatbelt strap, and bicycle inner tubes for lining, and voilà — the first Frietag bag was born.

Made in a factory right beside the same cross-Zurich highway that inspired them in 1993, the Frietag brothers continue to recycle these tough materials into fashionable and functional bags for men and women.

The new Spring 2011 line includes recycled airbags for a new, interesting, and very durable material for another color option from the brightly colored tarp bags.  They have also mixed new silhouettes from timeless, classic messenger to decidedly-hip, snake-scale handbag.

The Reference Collection is available online at www.frietag.ch ranging from $145 to $672.

Click an image to launch slide show:

 

Images courtesy of Frietag.