Cloth bags are nowadays an essential accessory. They are practical, reusable and a walking communication tool. And many brands use them to transmit direct messages, which seek to connect with whoever reads them. This summer Les Popes has presented a new collection of totebags illustrated by Aida Berengué Carbonell, graduated in 2D Animation from L’Idem Barcelona.
Inspirational phrases full of love and strength are the protagonists of this collection. Made from organic cotton, Les Popes tote bags present forceful feminist messages that invite reflection. “N’estem fartes”, “No sóc un objecte” or “Vull decide lliurement” are some of the phrases from the collection illustrated by Aida Berengué. We have spoken with her about this professional project.
What led you to participate in this project?
I had wanted to collaborate with Les Popes for a long time. On the one hand, because they are friends from my town (Bellpuig, Lleida) whom I admire. And, on the other hand, for all the energy they put into their outreach work, workshops and feminist mobilization in rural areas of the province of Lleida.
What does being a feminist mean to you?
It means wanting to take off the blindfold and wanting to see, even if it hurts or saddens. We live in a patriarchal world where it is difficult to escape its influence. We have all been educated in it, so you have to question yourself often in order to move forward, constantly deconstruct yourself. Luckily the path becomes easier in good company.
What has your work consisted of?
My collaboration with Les Popes has consisted of illustrating phrases written by Les Popes on three different topics, proposing ideas with sketches in Photoshop and looking for illustrations that would give their messages even more strength. These have been vectorized in Photoshop Illustrator and then screen printed by the La Seu d’Urgell Taller la Tartera.
What style of illustration have you proposed for the totebags?
One of the things that Les Popes asked for is that it could be an affordable tote bag. So one of the guidelines was that there was only one color for the entire illustration of each bag. Under this premise, I looked for a line style that was fine and that could give prominence to the phrases of Les Popes.
And what inspired you to create them?
In the moments shared with other women, of support, strength, affection, listening and freedom.
From what you learned at school, what knowledge did you use to carry out this project?
In the first year of my degree we took creativity classes with Guido del Solar. In it we learned to take risks, not to stay with the first idea that comes to mind and to keep looking. And in Computer Science and Infographics class we learned to use the Adobe package, which has been very useful for me in this project.
Finally, how do you rate the experience?
It was a very nice experience both personally and professionally. I would love to collaborate with them again in the future!
What is Les Popes?
It is a project that was born from a critical look at leisure and patriarchy. It is promoted by three colleagues who, after many years shared in the world of leisure, could not get the same thought out of their heads: if we always fill our mouths with values education for children and young people, how can it be that in Are we not really educating in feminism and in a feminist way?
In the world of leisure, as in so many other educational spaces, there is still a prevailing need to educate and do things with a gender perspective. And this is the challenge of Les Popes: to do your bit in this reconstruction of the leisure sector.
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