It’s always lovely to meet the people behind a brand and I am fast becoming super obsessed with these Nodo rope bags, hand-crafted by Italian Hackney based Sara Bellinato who I had the pleasure of meeting earlier this month…
I hope you enjoy this mini interview! You can see me styling up the shopper in this post here and more pics on Instagram!
What inspired you to make the rope bags?
I’m a vintage collector and I’ve collected many crochet and straw bags over the years.
They were very popular in the 50s, 60s and 70s although the craft techniques behind these pieces are much older and rooted in many different cultures around the world.
But as much as I love straw bags I think they have a really short life span and have the tendency to fall apart very quickly.
To resolve this problem I thought I could make myself a bag inspired by those designs but with a durable material.
I wanted my bag to be minimal and simple, functional, easy to wash and durable, so that I could use it for many seasons.
Rope felt modern and sturdy enough to be the best material for my bags and so the story begins…
What materials and techniques are you using?
I personally hand crochet each bag with 100% cotton rope.
What I like about this material is that it’s made with recycled fibres woven together into a high quality rope, therefore all the bags are eco friendly and sustainable.
As a vintage lover, where do you like visit in London?
I love discovering gems at markets, my favorite is Hackney Flea Market.
For furniture I go to Committee of Taste in Stokey.
For clothing my favourite is Annie’s in Camden Passage.
You also make jewellery, what type of pieces do you like to make?
I make textile jewellery and love to combine fabric with brass or silver.
I’m quite obsessed with circular shapes and I enjoy playing with them to create dangly earrings.
I’m currently working on a new collection that will challenge a bit more the silversmith in me!
