Bring Pinoy pride anywhere with these 'bahay kubo' bags
MANILA, Philippines — Industrial design student Ronan Villanueva did not need to go far to find inspiration for a product in his design class.
Tasked to make a plate that exhibits an artifact from the Philippines, the student designed a one-of-a-kind "Bahay Kubo" (nipa hut) backpack inspired by the icon of local architecture.
These “Bahay Kubo” bags, like the real deal, can certainly stand on their own. They are equipped with stilts that aren’t only for aesthetic purposes, but to prevent the bag from touching the ground when stood right-side up.
“And, as we all know, back in the days, bahay kubo were transferred from point A to point B through ‘bayanihan.’ By this, several people carry the house on their shoulders, the same as a backpack,” Ronan told Philstar.com in an online interview, explaining the product’s rationale.
Materials incorporated by the designer include faux leather and natural Chinese bamboo. The primary material used was faux leather that is Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)-coated to make it water-resistant but not waterproof. The stilts, on the other hand, are made of Chinese bamboo.
Ronan took a week to conceptualize the product design and another three weeks to make the bag. From the original Bahay Kubo backpack design, a customer requested a messenger bag variant, leading to the design of the Bahay Kubo messenger bag. The bags also come in black.
The product sizes are as follows:
- Bahay Kubo backpack (large) is 12 x 8.5 x 4 inches
- Bahay Kubo backpack (small) is 11 x 8 x 4 inches
- Bahay Kubo messenger bag is 11 x 15.2 x 4.5 inches
Handmade by local bag makers from Marikina, the bags are now available made-to-order.
The large backpack retails for P5,000, the small backpack for P3,700 and the messenger bag for P4,000.
For inquiries and orders, customers may contact the Ronan John Facebook or Instagram pages.
