I have to admit I never really understood them. The first time I saw one of them lying on the merch stand at some trendy concert, they reminded me of the sad batik dyeing experiments or colourful potato stamping adventures I went through in elementary school, that forced my mother to carry her shopping in some well-intended but badly executed linen bag artwork. They always radiated a certain kind of do-it-yourself charm, that certainly fit most of the indie bands, but left me wondering who actually bought those bags and what you would use them for if you did. I couldn’t really picture myself standing in front of my coat rack considering whether to take the Foals or the Dodos out to Wal Mart to buy some milk, toast and a can of corn. But then, standing in line at a small corner shop at St. Pauli the other day I suddenly understood. There was this dark haired, good looking thirty-something in his skinny jeans and duffle coat; his cute big-eyed son sitting in the shopping cart, waiting for his father to finish packing the groceries into his ClickClickDecker linen shopping bag. There it was, the one and only situation where a bag like that seemed to make sense: The urban chic; the post-student music snob, that wants to keep up the life style even with kids scuttling about his feet; the 21st century grup, that shares his own children’s childishness.
I guess I better start working on my collection then…
