Q&A with Uppy Bags
Uppy Bags in Portobello Market sells funky and eco-friendly bags made from recycled rice & cement bags. We spoke to them about their bags.
Tell us about ‘Uppy Bags’ - what do you sell, when did you start, how long have you been trading at Portobello market?
Uppy Bag is a recycled material bag brand and all bags are made from up-cycled cement, rice etc. It's a funky looking, very dynamic brand that appeals to customers that are sustainably orientated, who likes original designs and who has a little bit of creativity in them.
Since COVID have you made any changes to the ways you operate your business? How important is social media now compared to before?
At first I traded on Portobello Road, but when COVID started I rapidly created another presence and now I’m on ‘uppybags.com’ I had to be very quick and adapt to the circumstances, being online means I’m still be able to communicate with the customers and to communicate without a wall despite everyone staying home. So I would say uppybags.com was a baby over COVID, and of course Instagram is a second home for Uppy Bags and other social media, such as Facebook, Pinterest or TikTok. It gives us the opportunity to talk to people and show what our product is about, who makes the products and the story behind it. I think this is extremely important during the COVID period, during the time that everyone is sitting at home, social media is the only way to showcase your product and communicate your ideas.
What/who inspired you to go into selling these bags?
I discovered the product when I was travelling to Cambodia and I was inspired to see how the product was made. I met the makers and found what the great purpose was behind this product. I thought it was important to bring this product to the UK, to show people that there are countries which support circular economy, they create from nothing or from something that no one needs anymore and use the materials to create something new, something that is so fantastic, great and trendy. Although Uppy Bags doesn’t support trends because its an off the trend brand which is also part of a sustainable idea, it helped me to learn how to trade with South East Asia because the culture is different and the language is different. Also, I always keep in mind that with every bag I order from this community and sell it it helps them to actually feed their families as they unfortunately live in poverty at the moment. I hope for the country to grow in the future.
What materials do you work with and why?
All bags are made from pre-used cement and rice that are collected by the community in factories across South East Asia. They are washed by hand and then remade into those products. It’s purely a circular product, something that doesn't need anyone and can end up in landfill. It is collected, washed and remade in something new, nice, cool and very fashionable. The materials used are quite strong and very durable - as you imagine it was carrying heavy duty, they’re weather resistant and they all have great prints which are not newly printed, they all come from those recycled bags, meaning it’s a zero waste product.
Do you have any hopes or aspirations for when things get back to normal?
Since COVID a lot of things have changed in the world. Personally, I believe that the world is not going to go back to how it was before. I feel the world has changed and has become more dynamic, the world has to adapt and I think that it’s great. Sometimes changes come with a little bit of pain, that’s how the world works, I think in general society needs that. The same as Uppy Bags, I believe we have become a very dynamic and agile brand. It proved it was able to adapt to the changing circumstances, despite the COVID economical crash, Uppy Bags was still trading and ordering bags from those communities. When the first lockdown started I was really scared that I wouldn’t be able to sell anything and I know that a lot of brands cancelled their orders. Uppy Bags still accepted the orders and tried to sell bit by bit. We tried talking to the customers, continuing to introduce the idea of the brand and how important it is, not only for the general economy but also to support those communities by buying those bags because that’s still going to create jobs for them. When things get better Uppy Bags hope to go back to selling on the market and hope to remain selling online. We hope to get a larger audience and become recognised.
What is something that stands out about Portobello to you?
Portobello is a very special place, it has certain vibes that draws in a lot of different cultures. People come and enjoy their time, they can try different foods, they can listen to music, see colourful things. Even traders are multicultural. I would say Portobello is the most multicultural place in London. When you come to Portobello you will meet many different nationalities, you can see things brought from different parts of the world and see the energy of people who make different things and enjoy doing those things. For me, as a representative of Uppy Bags, It’s important to meet those people, to see them and communicate with them face-to-face. See their reaction of the product, respond, tell them the story, bring them values of the product. This is what Portobello Road is about and I think it should transform into something a little new, as the world is changed. I think it’s very energetic and such a great place in London.