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117 bags listed today7 materials
What fits inside KALIDIBags for the everyday By material

Bags for the everyday

One bag, carried until it goes soft

KALIDI makes bags you reach for without thinking: a crescent that tucks under the arm, a corduroy tote that swallows a laptop and a lunch, a mesh bag that shakes the sand out on the way back to the car. We list 117 of them today, from $6.99 to $39.88.

Everyday totes

Everyday Totes

The wide, soft ones. Corduroy, suede and vegan leather shoppers that hold a day's worth without structure, and slump honestly when they are empty.

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The shapes

Five shapes, and what each is for

All departments
Backpacks12 pieces Beach & Mesh27 pieces Crescent & Hobo24 pieces Work Totes16 pieces Everyday Totes38 pieces

Since 2018

Small range, revised often

We at KALIDI keep the lineup short on purpose. A shape stays until something about it annoys us, then it changes and the old one goes. That is why the range is 117 pieces rather than a thousand, and why two bags that look alike on a screen usually differ by a strap length or a pocket.

About KALIDI

Crescent & hobo

Crescent & Hobo

The curved underarm shape on a short strap. It sits against the body, which keeps it out of the way and also means it does not hold much more than the essentials.

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By the day it belongs to

Pick by the day, not by the shelf

The same five shapes, sorted the way a week actually goes.

The commuteA padded sleeve, a zip top and enough room beside the laptop for a flask.The errand runShort strap, hands free, and small enough that it does not swing into doorframes.The long weekendThe wide soft ones. They take a jumper, a book and whatever gets bought on the way.The sand and the poolOpen mesh that drains, or a 60 litre zip tote when the towels are wet.

Work totes

Work Totes

Totes built around a padded sleeve. Most take a 15 inch machine, with room beside it for a charger, a notebook and lunch.

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Across the shapes

Corduroy, suede, vegan leather, mesh

Material cuts across the departments: the same corduroy turns up in a work tote and in a shopper, so it gets its own way in.

All materials
Vegan leather23 piecesCorduroy21 piecesMesh13 piecesQuilted8 piecesSuede6 piecesStraw2 piecesCanvas1 piece

Beach & mesh

Beach & Mesh

Open mesh and oversized zip totes. The mesh drains and shakes out, the large ones close over wet towels and fold flat afterwards.

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The long version

Where the shapes come from

The KALIDI workshop started in 2018 with one slouchy tote and a stubborn opinion about straps. The first strap slipped off the shoulder every time its owner reached for a train ticket; the second was shorter by four centimetres and stayed put. That became the rule the studio still works to: a bag is finished when you stop noticing it.

Five shapes, in plain words

Between them they cover most of what a week asks for, and nothing here pretends to be a suitcase.

  • Backpacks They are square daypacks, and they read as a bag rather than as hiking kit.
  • Beach & Mesh These are the open ones: they drain, they fold flat and they dry out.
  • Crescent & Hobo It curves in, so it can sit under the arm on a short strap.
  • Work Totes Each one is built around a padded sleeve that will take a 15 inch laptop.
  • Everyday Totes These are the wide soft ones, and they have no frame to hold them up.

Materials, and what each one does badly

Every material has a weak spot, and it is better met here than in week three.

  • Vegan leather Wipes clean with a cloth Creases at the fold lines over a year
  • Corduroy Warm to the hand, holds its shape Collects lint from dark coats
  • Mesh Weighs almost nothing, drains Hides nothing inside it
  • Quilted A soft wall without a frame A machine wash flattens it for good
  • Suede Reads richer than the price Marks where water dries
  • Straw Light and open, made for summer Dislikes soaking, and winter
  • Canvas Plain, sturdy, cheap to live with Softens with washing, like it or not

Sizes without the guesswork

Where the maker states a volume we print litres. Where the maker states a laptop we print inches. A bag that turns out two centimetres short is worse than a bag you never bought.

Silhouettes drawn to the volumes the maker states. Shapes the maker states by laptop size show the machine instead.

Prices, and why they move

Every figure is from our last update, and the number that binds is the one at checkout with our retail partner. Stock and season move it on their side.

Backpacks $27.54 – $36.99
Beach & Mesh $6.99 – $25.99
Crescent & Hobo $14.49 – $28.99
Work Totes $12.49 – $36.99
Everyday Totes $12.49 – $39.88
Range of the 117 pieces listed at our last update.

How a KALIDI bag gets revised

A shape stays until something about it annoys the people who carry it every day. That is why the range holds 117 pieces instead of a thousand.

  1. 1 Carry itSomebody carries the current version every day until something about it starts to grate.
  2. 2 Change one thingIf a zip catches, it gets a wider tape. If a tote sagged, it gets a base panel.
  3. 3 Retire the old oneThe previous version stops. That is why two bags that look alike will differ by a strap, a pocket or a sleeve.

Who these bags are for, and who they are not

Made for

  • A day's worth: a laptop and a lunch, or a towel and a book
  • Hands free and a small bag, which is what the crescent shapes do
  • Wet things coming home, which is what the mesh pieces do

Not made for

  • A weekend away, with two days of clothes
  • A wheeled case or a cabin bag: there is neither here
  • An expedition pack with a hip belt

The largest beach carrier is the closest thing to luggage in the range, and it is still a tote, not a suitcase.

What fits inside