Stella McCartney has launched its first-ever bag crafted from banana plants as part of its Autumn 2023 collection – a vegan Logo tote, embroidered with the brand’s iconic Fungi Forest toile de Jouy print. Autumn 2023 is an ageless wardrobe revisiting Stella icons – rooted in a love for trees and Mother Earth, celebrating the power of plants and the role they play in conscious fashion. The hand-drawn Fungi Forest toile de Jouy debuted as part of the Summer 2022 collection, woven now onto the Logo tote’s Bananatex® base.

Stay cool on summer days.

Known for its signature monogram designs luxury lifestyle goods and fashion house MCM Worldwide uses Bananatex® to create this fresh spin on a streetwear classic. The bucket hat features an embroidered MCM logo capturing the freedom of the summer months.

Beyond your everyday accessory.

Influenced by architecture and design, fashion brand COS introduces a modern take on the classic squared silhouette with its large tote bag crafted from Bananatex®’s heavy twill – following a zero waste approach.

Let there be spring!

H&M embraces kids’ self-expression and creativity with their kidswear collection featuring Indonesian artist Martcellia Liunic’s whimsical illustrations. Her colorful creatures, plants and flowers are printed onto a range of children’s clothing, accessories and sneakers made with Bananatex® – spreading a playful and happy vibe with a very positive footprint.

Let’s stop plastic.

Swiss brands QWSTION and MOVER have been challenging the norm for over a decade, to eliminate plastic from functional bags and garments. Their vision of the future is regenerative, one in which humans are a part of nature, leaving the age of exploitation (and plastic) behind.

Now they’ve joined forces to create the QWSTION + MOVER Hip Pack, a lightweight bag for outdoor use, defined by functionality, timeless design and minimal use of resources. Certified organic plant fibers are combined with natural wool and aluminium – ensuring the product will leave no trace. A first, in a field where goods are normally made of 100% plastic.

Crafted in Switzerland from QWSTION’s Cradle to Cradle Certified® Bananatex® material, this product is made-to-order, in a limited quantity of 100 pieces.

The QWSTION + MOVER Hip Pack – made from 0% plastic, for a regenerative future.

Supporting digital minimalism.

Punkt. was founded in 2008 by Petter Neby with the idea to bring a breath of fresh air to the electronics market by creating excellent, timelessly attractive and functional products that neither distract the user nor require too much effort to use.

In collaboration with QWSTION they launched a plastic-free and biodegradable phone case made with Bananatex® – combining beautiful design with simplicity, clarity and practicality.

Lounge Chair Ensō – designed for circularity

Furniture for sitting, reclining or storage is part of our everyday lives – just like bags for carrying things are. In an extraordinary collaboration of two Swiss brands, furniture company Lehni and backpack label QWSTION are pursuing a common goal: to create a seat made for circularity – one that carries people through life. Innovative metal crafting meets progressive material development in the field of textiles, completing the cycle and bring Swiss Design to future generations.

Ensō is a seat for both in- and outdoor use, defined by functionality, timeless design and minimal use of resources. Recycled aluminium and regenerative, naturally grown plant fibers form the base and seat, while all other materials as used in screws and feet can continue their life in existing cycles as well.

The base is manufactured in Lehni’s factory in Dübendorf, Switzerland, is also where the seat is crafted, made from QWSTION’s fully biodegradable Bananatex® material.

Design by Frédéric Dedelley & Christian Kägi.

Diploma project ECAL / Babybo

Recent studies show that there are still many baby sleeping products on the market containing toxic chemicals, which can cause respiratory damage and are likely to be carcinogenic. Moreover, baby beds have a rather short lifetime due to the risk of mould, mites and bacterias.

Babybo is a portable baby nest that offers a safe environment for 0-6 months babies. The mattress core is made from a hypoallergenic and breathable mycelium foam, tuned into different densities for comfort and stability, and further heat-pressed into soft panels creating an easy fold. The compact design is easily transformed into a play mat, changing pad, shelter or sleeping pod, depending on how the buttons are closed.

All materials used, including the waterproof banana fiber fabric Bananatex®, enable a 100% biodegrading process at an industrial compost when being shredded at the end of its lifetime.

Changing mindsets.

With its unique creations luxury footwear brand INUIKII breaks with classic expectations while taking sustainability at the forefront. Inspired by the traditional winter shoes of the Inuit in Greenland, the statement boots and sneakers are a successful combination of functionality, comfort and timeless style. Designed in Switzerland, each pair of shoes is handmade in Europe with materials that are sustainable and eco-friendly.

The Sustainable Collection includes two styles whose upper material is made from Bananatex® in natural white and all black, combined with recycled rubber soles and organic cotton laces.

Unisex sneaker collection with a smaller environmental footprint

We’ve joined forces with the London based footwear brand Good News on H&M’s first ever shoe collaboration featuring innovative materials. Known for their playful and retro-inspired sneakers, Good News is continuously exploring new, innovative materials for their shoes and share our commitment to sustainability.

The Bananatex® fabric is used for the upper of the black low top sneaker combined with other sustainable elements like recycled rubber soles and recycled cotton.

Where do you go to wind down and find a moment of peace?

Our living spaces have never been more important as sanctuaries of calm from the turmoil of the outside world. In tribute to their enhanced centrality, we’ve partnered with homeware pioneer Magazin and the Danish furniture brand Softline to present the KOLTER ECO daybed.

Designed for durability and easy care the daybed features a removable custom cover made from the Bananatex® fabric and a modular frame made of Scandinavian spruce. The simple yet sleek design adds a practical and sophisticated presence to any room and embodies our take on harmony between environments both interior and natural.

QWSTION is about challenging norms.

The collective questions how things are designed, made and used, to find better ways that benefit both humans and nature.

They have been making bags and everyday goods from plants instead of plastic since 2008 – ones that unite responsibility with functionality and timeless aesthetics.

Centring the creative process around material research has allowed them to develop Bananatex® – a Cradle to Cradle Certified® and 100% compostable textile crafted from regeneratively grown plants.

QWSTION invites others to collaborate and cultivate positive change for the future.

QWSTION is their answer.

Inspired by the diverse architecture and cultures of Europe, the modular MAE Chair was created. The German design studio PALAIUS has visited native craftsmen who have been passing on traditional production methods in their families for centuries.

The MAE Chair is handmade in European manufactories and combines traditional craftsmanship with innovative materials. Within the framework of the BAZAR NOIR Editions, the connection between the innovative sustainable material BANANATEX®, which is made purely of abacá and banana fibres, and the durable steel frame of PALAIUS was created.

BANANATEX® was developed by the Swiss bag brand QWSTION and is being used for the first time in furniture production for the exclusive edition of our MAE Chair. In addition to its sustainability, this fabric is also extremely resistant and - thanks to its beeswax coating - waterproof, making it the perfect material for the MAE Chair, which can be used both indoors and outdoors.

The BAZAR NOIR Editions are not only chosen based on their marvellous appearance, but the manufacturing process and selected materials have to match our criteria, our believes and our design language.