Dezeen Magazine

Increase Decrease backpack is based on China's overstuffed cargo bikes

Dutch designer Casper Notenboom has created a collection of bags that references the way that people in China transport large stacks of goods on their bikes.

Increase Decrease by Casper Notenboom

The Increase Decrease bag collection is on display as part of an exhibition of projects that respond to different Chinese social issues at this year's Beijing Design Week.

Increase Decrease by Casper Notenboom

During an internship in Beijing, Notenboom noticed that local people carried teetering, top-heavy piles of goods on the back of their bicycles. This prompted him to create a collection of backpacks that can adapt in shape and size according to their content.

Increase Decrease by Casper Notenboom

"During my internship in China I got inspired by the often primitive way that people carry, package and transport their belongings," explained Casper Notenboom.

"This manner of transporting goods fascinates me as an image but also as a way of constructing."

A large rubber back opens up to allow the user to fit in as much content as possible. It can then be vacuum packed to reduce its size and make it easy to carry.

Increase Decrease by Casper Notenboom

"By using the construction of the bag and fixing it with techniques such as vacuum- and heat-sealing, the bags are easily adaptable to what is inside them," explained the designer.

"Modern-day life is making individuals more mobile and this results in an increasing demand for adaptability and flexibility."

Increase Decrease by Casper Notenboom

Available in different styles, material and colours, each of the bags has a simple white frame that acts as a main support.

Another recent backpack redesign came from Royal College of Art graduate Peng You, who created an inflatable model that keeps electronic devices safe from knocks and bumps.

Increase Decrease by Casper Notenboom

Increase Decrease is on display in The Global School exhibition, as part of Beijing Design Week's Baitasi Remade, which is located in the historic zone of Baitasi.

Increase Decrease by Casper Notenboom

Beijing Design Week runs from 23 September to 7 October 2016. Other projects on show include designer Thomas Schnur's pieces of furniture adapted from common objects like traffic cones and metal barriers.