Braasi – Handmade, Sustainable and Stylish Backpacks from Prague

Braasi design and make backpacks (and other items) for the city and nature using high quality materials and exceptional style.

Everything they create is handmade in Prague with the utmost attention to detail.

Who are Braasi?

Braasi Industry is a family business founded by Eliska and Simon.

They own a small factory in the Holešovice district in Northern Prague, which they also designed and renovated themselves in order to create their studio and manufacturing space.

They make everything by hand, in house.

Inspiration, Concept and Design

Drawing from the simplistic aesthetics of 1980’s climbing gear, they seamlessly combine form and function to create beautiful, elegant and effective backpacks.

“When designing our collections, we draw from our architectural background to combine practicality, visual aesthetics and timelessness, keeping our products simple, clean, functional, and stylish…at Braasi, we believe that less is more.”

Each product places practicality at the forefront of every stage of conception, development and manufacture.

For the City and for Nature

One of my own personal favourite aspects of their work is how effortlessly their backpacks make the transition between the city and time spent in nature.

The quality of the design, materials and construction allow the packs to take a fair beating whilst out in the mountains and forests. However, they also look great, making them a perfect option for city life as well.

As a result, they have become popular with cyclists and hikers.

Braasi Backpacks

Although the functionality of each rucksack is fairly fluid, they can be roughly grouped into different categories to help you choose the right one for you and your needs.

I want to talk through a few different models, and why I think they are such a good investment.

Braasi Backpacks for Exploration and Travelling

This category includes models such as the Klopista, Wicker, Henry, Roger and the Hertil.

They are specifically designed for exploring, travelling. However they also work well in the city.

I want to start with my personal favourite, and the one that I wear for my hiking day trips and daily city life.

Welcome to the Henry…

The Henry

This rucksack is now my go to choice for daily life and hikes of a single day or less.

The rolldown top can easily be altered depending on how much I’m carrying, and the laptop holder is tough and sturdy.

I love the simplicity of the design and the overall aesthetic. The criss-crossed straps look great with the grey, orange and desert colour variations as it breaks the silhouette up into diamonds of colour and form.

Another aspect of the design that impressed me is how durable the materials and construction are in general.

The rucksack looks high end and stylish for the city, but it also performs whilst being dragged through rivers, scraped against rocks and even when used as an impromptu seat.

My personal favourite is the orange. Here are the specifications in greater detail:

• Sewn from the high-quality and durable Cordura® material
• The capacity of 21 litres can be increased or decreased by rolling the top up or down
• Premium comfort due to padded back and shoulder straps
• The highly durable net is both stylish and functional
• Small zip pocket on the top
• A 14” laptop pocket is also included
• Made in Prague, in their Braasi factory

It is available in black, desert, orange and dark grey.

The Wicker X-Pac

At 30L, this is a spacious rolltop designed for everyday carry.

I haven’t tested this one personally but I imagine it works like a bigger, older brother to the Henry.

• Made from the durable and waterproof X-Pac® material
• The side pocket for the laptop 14”
• Small zip pocket on the top
• Premium comfort due to padded back and shoulder straps
• Additional space gained with the external adjustable net
• Volume of 30 litres
• Measurements meet the size requirements for carry-on luggage
• Made in Prague, in their Braasi factory

Available in Black and Yellow.

Braasi Backpacks for the City

For the city I would recommend the Rolltop Cordura.

Rolltop Cordura

This is a basic urban rolltop with numerous bold and bright colour variations.

Smaller that the Henry and Wicker, it is perfect for days in the city and the cycling commute.

Braasi offer this stylish design in a huge variety of different colours.

• Suitable for any weather thanks to Cordura® and the waterproof lining
• A basic capacity of 16L can be increased or reduced by rolling the top
• The upper pocket is easy to reach but is inconspicuous to keep your things safe at the same time
• Manufactured in Prague

The Braasi Story

Check out the Braasi story in their own words.

“Back in 2013 we had the idea to make backpacks for ourselves.

We sketched out a few designs and sewed our first prototype by hand.

When our friends saw us wearing it, they loved it and wanted their own, so we decided to buy a sewing machine.

We really enjoyed designing and making backpacks and the demand for them kept growing, so we decided to create our own brand.

The true start of our expansion was the 2014 design SUPERMARKET in Prague. The enthusiastic responses and growing interest persuaded us to offer our products abroad. We built a simple stand for our presentation, selected several trade shows across Europe and hit the road.

Immediately, our backpacks were noticed by foreign boutique owners and distributors.

Today more than half of our backpacks travel to foreign markets.

Braasi is no longer just a brand that sews backpacks.”

Another aspect of the Braasi company ethos that I love is the way that they are constantly evolving and pushing the boundaries.

Whether that is in the form of artist collabs, cutting edge materials or even new life, they are always working on exciting and unique new projects.

One such part of their work is Braasi Baby.

Braasi Baby

As a family business, they also create stylish and durable backpacks for the little people in your life.

“Parenthood sparked the idea of launching a line of mini backpacks.”

These are handmade backpacks for little explorers (kids 3-6 years old). These bags are water resistant, hard-wearing, and comfortable.

Check out Cotopaxi.

Collabs

Braasi regularly work with a wide array of different artists, illustrators and companies in order to create inspiring and exciting collaborations.

Organisations include Balboa Boards, Becherovka, Johnnie Walker, Beefeater, Czech Radio, Maapi and Paperjoe amongst others.

Braasi for Doctors Without Borders

In 2019 they donated 150 backpacks to “Doctors Without Borders” (Médecins Sans Frontières msf.org).

These “backpacks were made from a material which unfortunately changed colours with UV radiation but were otherwise strong, well made and practical like all of our products.”

“We did not want the backpacks to go to waste so we decided to give them away.”

The doctors that worked with the organisation were then able to use them for international missions and to carry whatever they needed.

Find more about the Braasi collabs.

What Materials do Braasi Use?

Braasi are exceptionally careful when it comes to the materials they choose to use.

“We choose our materials very carefully. We consider it to be one of the most important parts of the whole process because it reflects not only the quality and sustainability of our products but also environmental and social responsibility.”

Almost everything is sourced locally from Czech manufacturers so that they support local communities and businesses.

The outer fabrics, linings, foams, straps and Braasi labels are purchased from Czech manufacturers.

The Japanese company YKK® supplies them with buckles and zippers and an Italian tannery from the Veneto region provides the full grain leather.

Cordura® 1100D, 500D

Cordura material is constituted from certified nylon fibre that is woven into the finished material.

This synthetic material is very resistant to tears and abrasion, and is often used for sports equipment and even by the army.

The Braasi backpacks that are made with Cordura have more of an outdoorsy feel and aesthetic.

The Cordura that Braasi uses is made in the Czech Republic or Germany.

X-Pac®

The material X-Pac® was originally created for sailboat sails. This means that is can easily weather extreme conditions, making it a perfect choice for a hard-wearing rucksack.

As a result, it is also a 100% waterproof fabric and perfect for keeping your possessions dry in the wettest conditions.

As a native Icelander, I can attest to the importance of this feature.

Braasi explain in more detail, “In general, it is a composite fabric laminated from several layers: an upper nylon fabric (210D), an X-PLY grid made of polyester, a waterproof coating and a lower polyester fabric with a waterproof layer. The grid also determines the structure of the fabric, that’s why it has a visible diamond pattern on the surface.”

“X-Pac® is also super light (it’s the lightest fabric we work with) and very flexible. In our workshop we work with types WX21 and LS21.”

Cotton

Another touch that I noticed, once getting more acquainted with Braasi, is the fantastic attention to detail when it comes to the way that they use the different materials.

For example, they combine cotton and leather together in the Ayo and Haak models.

Both cotton and leather get more beautiful as they age. Their respective patinas become more characterful as they change in accordance with the way that their owner uses the bag.

Parachute

Another innovative use of materials, Braasi use recycled parachute material for its lightweight functionality and unique style.

They use parachute on their Anorak windbreakers, Georgina bags and the ultra-light and flexible Mika.

Tyvek®

Tyvek® is another recycled material that is waterproof and used in the rucksacks as insolation against water.

The membranal material is created from layered polyethylene (HDPE) and produced in Luxemburg.

Linen

Lined (from flax) takes about half as much water to grow as cotton.

It also requires less pesticides.

This greener production makes it perfect for companies with a commitment to sustainability like Braasi.

Wool

Braasi use woollen products from a Lithuanian family’s knitting mill.

They “personally met the company owner at a Design Week in Helsinki. She pays great attention to selecting the highest quality wool. We were instantly fascinated by her work.”

“There can be astounding differences in the quality of various wools. Maija knits hats made of merino lamb wool which is much softer than wool from fully grown sheep because it’s collected when the sheep are only seven months old.”

Why Choose Braasi?

For me personally, I love to support companies, projects and people that put their ideas out into the world and create beautiful, functional and considered designs.

Braasi make everything by hand, in a small Prague factory they renovated themselves, from sustainable, local materials.

They design everything themselves and adhere to a fierce commitment to attention to detail, unique aesthetics and a high standard of excellence across the board.

Contact Details

Website

Eliska and Simon – the Braasi founders

[email protected]

tel: +420774171793 (Šimon Brabec)

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