Twenty years ago, Freitag, the Swiss bag makers with a penchant for second-life materials, opened its first flagship store in Zurich. At the time, the idea of using a stack of decommissioned shipping containers was rather novel, and not yet a ready identifier of commerce-driven pre- or post-development pop-up ‘happening’.
Freitag Flagship Store
Working alongside architects Spillman Eschle, the company took a site in the former industrial district alongside Zurich’s Hardbrücke road bridge, hardly a very prepossessing spot for a retail experiment. The architects craned a total of 19 containers onto the spot, with nine of them forming what the company called ‘Zurich’s smallest skyscraper’.
From truck to rack, inside the Freitag Flagship Store
The spot was actually logistically perfect (just 150m from what was then the Freitag bag factory) and close by a busy road populated by the tarpaulin-swathed trucks that provided Freitag’s unique source material. To this day, no two Freitag bags are the same, each crafted from reused heavy duty trucking tarpaulin to enjoy a second life as a backpack, carry on or messenger bag.
The ground floor of the Freitag store
As well as proving a swift and cost-effective method of creating a ‘permanent temporary structure’, the Zurich HQ was an instant PR masterstroke, even in the days before virality, let alone social media. Visible from both road and rail lines, the project was featured in design, architecture and lifestyle magazines around the globe, including our September 2006 issue, literally helping put Freitag on the map.
Under construction, as featured in Wallpaper* September 2006
It took just six months to get the Flagship Store installed, with containers sourced from Hamburg’s port craned into position. The modular construction allowed for new containers to be added and in 2014, thanks to near continuous upgrades and maintenance, it was granted permanent status. Over the years, the elements haven’t been kind to the building blocks, and a complete overhaul was required in 2019 to cover up the rust and smarten up the exterior.
Freitag Flagship Store
The most recent improvements include a new photovoltaic system to shade the metal roofs and generate onsite power, as well as the installation of a dedicated Repair Studio for customers to visit the company and give their bags a fresh lease of life. Since 2006, the surrounding area has also had a glow-up, with bars, restaurants, vintage stores and other businesses springing up alongside.
‘The store became a physical extension of that same philosophy: giving existing materials a new purpose while challenging conventional ideas of retail and design,’ say the firm, who have extended their material palette to include old car seat belts and unwanted ski boots.
For the next few months, the upper floors of the container tower will play host to a new exhibition, ‘A Second Life’, that delves into the company’s past and its role as a pioneer in the circular economy.
20 Years of the Freitag Flagship Store
The Freitag Flagship Store is at Geroldstrasse 17, 8005, Zürich, Tel +41 433 669520