Freitag – known for its one-off pieces made from recycled truck tarpaulins – is to open a new location in Shanghai tomorrow (March 25), promising it will be its most innovative store yet. 

Freitag said it worked closely with local architects, landscape gardeners, engineers, designers and an on-site team over the course of two years to complete the project, which will introduce sustainable concepts and distinctive visuals to the neighbourhood. 

The store is located on Jiaozhou Road, Jing An District and was constructed in collaboration with local firm Kooo Architects. 

Besides its signature bags, Freitag used discarded materials for the store design. While the walls feature rubble from building sites, the large facade features hoarding panels. The store’s roof is designed to promote biodiversity in the neighbourhood and connect the store to the publicly accessible rooftop terrace. 

“With the local community continuing to grow, the new store aims to provide a platform going beyond a traditional understanding of retail,” the company said in a statement. 

The store’s first floor is given over to a large repair shop, where specially trained Freitag employee Rainie Wu reconditions bags from all over China, ensuring that the company’s products have an even longer service life. In addition, customers can get a first-hand experience of the digital F-Cut customisation tool in the adjacent workshop space. 

The second and third floors are home to the entire Freitag range, including about 900 different bags and 750 accessories. 

Recycled tarpaulin bag manufacturer opened its first branded store in China in 2018 in partnership with local reseller Harbook+ in Shanghai.