Call ’em carpet bags, kilim bags, call them whatever you like — they are bags made of carpet remnants from rugs around the world. They often have a bohemian look and are a great style for those of us with wanderlust. They seem to be a trend.
How do I detect a trend? Well, it’s simple. I go by the “rule of 3’s.” If something new shows up 3 times from 3 different sources within 30 minutes, then it might be a trend. Because with all the info we’re exposed to all the time, what’s the chance of that happening if the “thing” is not a trend? This happened yesterday with these bags, on my various social media feeds. So, callin’ it.
#1. First, this boho carpet travel bag by Barbara Bui from spring 2013 collection showed up on Facebook:
#2. Right after checking Facebook, I skipped over to email where there was a notice from Novica about this Zapotec Handbag, made by Alfredo Ruiz. It has a replication of the Ojo de Dios glyph (eye of God) motif. Novica has a tastemaker blog post all about this bohemian carpet bag:
#3. Then, a little further down my email list was a post from Justina Blakeney’s blog about kilim bags such as these from Burberry (this one is actually designed for men!):
If you’d like one of your own, Etsy is a great place to find vintage bags or new bags made from older carpet textiles.
Here’s a 1970s vintage overnight bag made from Turkish rugs. From Daisy Chain Vintage on Etsy, it’s been sold, but it’s a good look to search for with it’s timeless neutral colors and details:
From Etsy shop Bohemiennes, this is a bold graphic vintage carpet bag that would look great hanging casually off a mid century modern chair:
This next style adds just a bit of color and striped pattern to an otherwise neutral bag. It’s from Istanbul, which is the source of many great rugs, at Etsy shop The Orient Bazaar:
Another vintage duffle weekender from Etsy shop Goodbye Heart Woman. I like the off-center placement of this kilim rug pattern:
Of course this trend isn’t new. These have been a trend before. That’s why there’s so many vintage bags on the market! I have a vague memory of these from the 1970s but I was a young child then and paid more attention to Barbie dolls than bags at that time. I also remember taking macrame classes and made a pot-hanger — another trend that has returned now.