Five friends, all BS Management students at the Ateneo de Manila University, are the brains behind Zigzaggen, a ladies’ handbag made of—surprise, surprise—newspapers.

It started out as a school project for Geline Chua Caedo, Richard Lim, Twinky Valeriano, Rachel Sy, and Angel Talastas—all in their twenties—who pooled together their ideas and P20,000 capital to start the business in October 2007.

The brand name took a lot of thinking. “We wanted to give our bag a unique and interesting name,” relates Caedo. “We searched for different names and translated them into different languages, and that’s how we came up with Zigzaggen.”

It’s the fitting name indeed, as Zigzaggen is Dutch for “to weave,” which is how the bag is made.

Eco-friendly bag
The bag’s exterior is made of woven strips of old newspapers, with a cloth lining sewn on the inside. The handles are made of synthetic leather.

The first batch of Zigzaggen bags were simple designs with no pockets and zippers. In the succeeding batches, the group was able to integrate pockets and flaps as well as zippers and magnetic buttons.

“We really did a lot of research to ensure the bag’s functionality and durability,” Caedo says.

To ensure that the paper weaving does not disintegrate, it is finished with a special coating to make it water-resistant. Still, care must be taken not to expose the bag too long to water.

Streamlined production
Because the bag is made mainly of recycled newspapers collected from their homes and from relatives and friends, the group is able to minimize overhead costs.

They tap a community of underprivileged people to weave the banig (mat), paying workers per piece. Assembly is subcontracted to another group.

The bags are mainly sold online through over social-networking site Multiply, although the group also does consignment and participates in bazaars to sell more.

Zigzaggen bags in small and large sizes and in 11 designs, including V-striped, H-stiped, Flat, Boat, Bob, Vee. Models come in 11 colors.

The group is looking into the possibility of expanding its line to include clutch bags, wallets, and purses.

View Zigzaggen bags on Multiply

For orders, e-mail zigzaggen@yahoo.com or contact +63 917 7932295 and +63 917 5377401.