susan bijl

In her childhood, her favourite way of cleaning her room would be throwing away most of her stuff to create a minimalist and peaceful place, simply because she doesn’t like to have a lot of ‘stuff’ laying around. With this same spirit, but many years later, she would design the bag to replace all bags.

That bag is The New Shopping Bag. Susan created the first design and prototype in the year 2000, after studying at Rotterdam’s Willem de Kooning Academy.

Born partly from the idea of reducing the waste involved with the production of plastic bags; and partly from the ‘less is more’ Dutch design philosophy, The New Shopping Bag was an instant hit amongst friends, fashion-lovers and designers alike.

After creating twenty-five collections, raising three kids, owning a dog, and opening two stores in Rotterdam, SUSAN BIJL's brand is still evolving. Her focus on community is reflected in her collaborations with artists and organizations that inspire her, such as Boijmans Van Beuningen, HAY, the city of Rotterdam, International Film Festival Rotterdam, and many talented Dutch designers including 75B, Experimental Jetset, Bertjan Pot, Michiel Schuurman, Ellie Uyttenbroek, Dufarge and Koen Taselaar.