You never stop learning: That's why Qwstion makes bags out of banana plants
14.9.2026
Translation: machine translated
Pictures: Laura Scholz
We have recently added Qwstion to our product range. Reason enough for me to meet with Christian Kägi, co-founder of the Swiss brand. Our tour through the headquarters left a lasting impression on me – because they really think of everything here.
It is hot when I visit Christian Kägi in June at the Qwstion studio and headquarters. Not just outside, but also inside the impressive premises of the Zurich SBB Werkstadt. The old skylight – which is also the only window – cannot be opened at the moment, he explains to me. Even before I can think "Wow!", I have already forgotten the sweat on my forehead. There is too much to discover.
"We have our office here, our mobile photo studio where all our product photos are taken – and really our entire warehouse. Everything that is ordered, we ship from here," Kägi says, feeding my wandering gaze. As one of the founders of Qwstion, he has been involved since the beginning in 2008. I want to know what motivated them back then to design their own backpacks instead of buying the ones already on the market like everyone else.
I have always had an interest in how things are made. That is something we as a society have somehow lost touch with.
"We wanted a bag that could be seamlessly integrated into everyday life and work well in different situations. Furthermore, most models available for purchase shared a common, fundamental problem: practically no end-of-life solution. Meaning: sooner or later they become waste. In Switzerland, we burn a large part of it, in the best case we produce district heating from it. In other countries, it sometimes ends up in landfills, where it turns into microplastics and pollutes the environment. We wanted to question how we design things, how we manufacture and use them. And how we deal with them when they eventually reach the end of their life. I would say that is the decisive difference between our products and others."
We stop in front of an exemplary, displayed material cycle. In front of me lies a backpack buried under soil: it is compostable.
"Natural fibers have incredible potential. We can use them and then return them to the cycle. This biological process has been working for millions of years and happens constantly in a natural ecosystem. Nutrients and resources are used, composted, and finally become the foundation for something new to emerge. Cotton is the most used natural fiber in the textile sector, but it is also very short. While soft and comfortable on the body, it is not exactly ideal for producing robust, durable fabrics. A plant with much longer fibers that are more tear-resistant is the banana plant. It also grows quickly. Up to three or four meters in height in one year. In addition, each plant has several stalks that also grow constantly. A pleasant aspect of the tropics, where there is no seasonality."
As we move along the exemplary material cycle, the question forces itself upon me: "How did you know that? How do you get from the design idea in Zurich to the banana plants in the Philippines?" The learning process was long, says Kägi. They started, completely without know-how, with their own organic cotton fabric. Via linen, hemp, bamboo, and nettles, they finally came across the Abacá banana fiber in 2015. "And no one had thought of that before you? Surely the fibers must have been used locally at least?"
"Exactly. In the Philippines, they are used for simpler textile products. And for centuries for ship ropes, fishing nets, carpet-like textiles, and room dividers. Then, in the 1970s, the paper industry started working with banana fibers because they are so tear-resistant and do not change even when wet. Most tea bags that we still find made of paper today are made of banana fibers. Some banknotes were also made from them. The Japanese Yen to this day, as far as I know."
A bast-like ball, ribbed paper, yarn. I try to imagine the production process based on the displayed processing steps, but I have to ask for an explanation. "That (the ball) is the raw fiber. They are already very fine, but if you look at their ends, you see that even these fibers can be separated into much finer threads. What holds them together is lignin. We, or rather our partners in the Philippines, wash that out and press the fibers into a kind of mat or thick paper. And from that, our yarn is created, 100 percent from banana fibers."
The last station of the material cycle shows all the individual parts of a Qwstion backpack. There is a back padding made of wool felt, the leather handle, as well as the zipper and the specially designed metal buckles. The non-compostable metal parts can be easily detached at the end of the product's life and can be recycled.
"With every production round, we optimize the details. Similar to what you know from the furniture industry. We also do not see ourselves as a classic fashion brand. Fashion is based on trend cycles, new collections are constantly appearing. That is not an issue for us; continuity is more important to us."
We have learned over the last 18 years how we must construct and manufacture bags so that they can return to complete cycles at the end of their life.
I want to know if trends can still be identified. For example, in the color preferences of the customers. "People buy 70 percent black. Gray is also popular. We find the off-white that is created naturally during the production process the most exciting ourselves. But a white bag is unfortunately too risky for many." For my confession that I would probably also choose a black model, I get an indulgent "Fair enough."
Then I want to know from Christian Kägi how Qwstion bags and backpacks can be better integrated into everyday life than others. As if he had been waiting for this question, he takes a backpack off the wall. "Flexibility is a big factor. You can wear this bag as a backpack, let's say, when you are on your bike. But you can also remove the shoulder straps without any effort and attach one to the long side. This gives the bag more of a business look. If you only use the short carrying straps at the top, you basically have a tote bag. We designed the buckles and fasteners ourselves to enable this simple system. In addition, you can open the bag in different ways to always easily access its contents. Via the typical top opening, the zipper on the side, or by completely unzipping the zipper all the way around." That is indeed flexible, I am convinced.
Still not convinced? Maybe it will win you over that at Qwstion, keychains are made from the small amount of material waste that is created during production. Or that you can even rent used, so-called second-cycle models. That you can send your bag in for repair, or receive a return reward – namely 10 percent off your next purchase – should you return an old bag.
I thank him with a verbal hat-tip: Although I already knew Qwstion through their Zurich store and Bananatex was also roughly familiar to me, I was not even remotely aware of how much research, work, and attention to detail (and the environment) goes into the bags. From my visit to the SBB Werkstadt, I take away a whole new appreciation for the products. "I'm glad to hear that," says Kägi. "It is becoming increasingly difficult to get people's attention. Of course, you have to feel attracted to the design first and foremost. But almost no one thinks about where such a bag will end up one day. And that is understandable, we simply don't learn it today, neither in school nor at university. I hope we can convey some of this knowledge with Qwstion."
Laura Scholz
Senior Editor
Laura.Scholz@digitecgalaxus.chAlways in the mood for good hits, great trips and clinking drinks.
Background information
Interesting facts about products, behind-the-scenes looks at manufacturers and deep-dives on interesting people.
Show allThese articles might also interest you
Show all
These articles might also interest you
5 comments
later