The brand: Demano

Demano creates eco bags with a natural soul from wastes of city banners around Barcelona, recycled pvc canvas. Those street banners are recycled and reused to create eco friendly and sustainable bags. The main characteristic of Demano is that it works with materials which are harmless to environment, producing unique objects, designed objects made for urban life, objects that tell a story and were made in Barcelona.

Demano brand through its designers’ words:

When we first thought of Demano as a brand, we did not think of objects done with banners; we thought of a corporation using city wasted material. We work with pretty clear parameters which define our brand.

Demano laptopcase (by ecoobe.com)

Demano are unique objects with a history, made in Barcelona and with an environmental awareness. We work regarding these principles, and all our products agree with these values. We want people who buy our stuff to be identified with these ideas. When we think in other materials, more than thinking about the material (clothes, construction nets, canvas) we look for these values through them. We have worked with different wasted materials and Demano has changed a lot since its beginning. We started making bags with banners, but now we have a variety of products. By now we are not having only bags, but also hats, shoes, stationery, T-shirts and there are other designers helping us with the process.

Demano city bag (by ecoobe.com)

We have worked with polyester construction nets used to cover facades, original clothes from the 70´s which were to be thrown away when we found them on a plant in Barcelona, wasted clothes, remnants of cloth material free from any chemical process, organic cotton, etc. We develop particular series with each material, mixed with advertising canvas. We are always researching for new possibilities. We liked the idea, not only because it is wasted material, but also because there is a history behind all of them.

Demano mini wallet (by ecoobe.com)

It was an arduous job. On one hand, it was very important to consolidate an agreement with each organization producing banners, in order to have the material. We established exclusiveness agreements to get the banners. It was also very important to work with designers to get the rights of the images and to make them part of the process. On the other hand, we had to develop the production and design process. Being a material coming from the street, the selection and cleaning process had to be appropriate. We wanted design to be an answer to urban needs: beach bags, bags for bike riding, shopping, etc.

Each bag was meant to strengthen, as much as possible, banner graphic design, protecting, at the same time, property rights related to banners and to the organizations promoting these activities. On the other hand, variety allows the material to be used the right way, reducing waste to the minimum. In addition to this, we established Demano as a corporation. The process took a long time.

Demano laptop case (by ecoobe.com)

When we got started, many of our costumers bought Demano because they liked the idea, others bought it because of its design, and some others because it was a recycled product. Now we think people know the brand better and they buy it because they feel identified with our principles.

The first idea we had when Demano started was to make bags, and right now it is the product we sell the most. But with time we realized we were interested in promoting Demano as a brand. We do not need to have a defined target, because our brand has clear values. We are more interested in knowing that who ever buys one of our bags, is doing it because he/she feels identified with our values and with our work. People are more and more aware of products which are harmless to environment and they are developing a sensibility to use them.

Demano everyday bag (by ecoobe.com)

Banner quantity is limited; around 400 are made for exhibition. This is a limit for bags production even when we produce almost all models. That is why our products, even though not unique, are limited editions not to be found anymore once the banners are finished.

You can see more products at www.demano.net.

The author: Anna is a dreamer, an idealist, a huge lover of everything is cool and innovative. Passionate about movies, avid reader and relentless traveller, she enjoys taking pictures and she fools herself to be a good photographer only because she thinks she knows how to use a professional SLR camera. She lived in New York, with which she (hopelessly) still in love with. Four wonderful years passed by and deeply changed her prospective. Anna starts growing a passion for innovative and eco-friendly design, in a world which is constantly in evolution and in deep need of a change.