MATERIAL + FORM MOODBOARD
The bag's accordion detail is adjustable through a pair of tri-glides and webbing, able to be pulled upwards depending on the volume of the day's work load.
BAG DETAIL
Our last iteration for our design incorporated both the harness (now with padding), collapsible bag, and wearable panels for additional tool storage and organization. Inside the bag is a series of letter-sized pockets, along with a double-lined bottom.
MAIN BODY
FINAL PAPER PROTOTYPE
CONCEPT 02
Collapsible bag - volume of bag can be adjustable throughout the work day, depending on mail load. Harness can be worn in a "Y," sling orientation, or as "backpack straps."
Issues - how will adjustable mechanism of bag work? Drawstring? Clasps? Harness might be cumbersome for user to set up and wear.
CONCEPT 01
Asymmetrical vest - weight of bag is distributed through the clasp attached at the waist (like a belt). Big pockets at the front of the bag for letter organization.
Issues - single-sided design requires manufacturing of both left and right arm orientations.
ROUGH PAPER PROTOTYPE
SKETCHES & INITIAL CONCEPTS
KRISTIN'S SKETCHES
IRIS'S SKETCHES
MARGAUX'S SKETCHES
Stable + Comfortable
Adaptable storage
Built-in organization
Adjustable straps, proper padding and weight distribution
Ability to adjust bag capacity throughout the work day
Easy-access pockets and storage built to aid the mail sorting process
DESIGN OBJECTIVES
Since the 1970s, the US mail carrier bag has not been drastically redesigned.
Making it of using the same bag, despite having over 520,000 employees in the US Postal Service today.
over 50 years
Based on interviews, we determined the main problems for mail carriers and their bag while on the job:
Improper weight distribution
Lack of bag capacity
Sorting different types of mail (parcels, letters, etc.)
in collaboration with
Margaux Guillet + Iris Sizemore
spring 2024
group project
7 weeks
ROYAL
A redesign of mail carrier bags - integrating adaptability, organization and proper weight distribution.
THE FINAL PRODUCT
Since it was my first time sewing, it was interesting to see how each fabric piece came together. Material such as the elastic binding drastically changed how the fabric shaped based on how it gathered. Adding hardware like the zipper also changed the amount of tolerance I initially had for the top of the pouch.
Pattern-making
We started out by building our design out of oak tag and butcher paper, to easily account of size on a 1:1 scale and consider construction without wasting any actual fabric and material. Once a paper version was complete, we cut and measured pieces of fabric according to our "template."
Double folding + lining
A tricky step was lining each "interior" piece with yellow riptstop fabric. We wanted to incorporate this detail for better visibility and an added color indication for any pockets or usable features in the design as a whole.
Piecing it together!
