Friends With Benefits: First Pop-Up Experiences
„To be able to sell our bags in a real store and experience how people touch the products and react to them – that was a very special feeling.“ says Lisa, summing up her first Berlin pop-up experience at Bikini Berlin.
She and her longtime friend and business partner Katharina own the young palatine company frisch Beutel that produces great handmade backpacks and bags – stylish and durable. Since the age of 15, Lisa Frisch and Katharina Pfaff have known each other. They went from friends to roommates, until they finally became business partners. The professional dimension of their relationship was established when fashion designer Lisa and communication designer Katharina worked on a joined project for their bachelor thesis, a fictitious label they created. And it was followed by serious consequences: it lead to founding their own, very real label frisch Beutel.
After the launch of their online shop a few months ago, it was time for more offline presence and direct contact with their customers: time for a pop-up store in Bikini Berlin! And time for an interview with Go—PopUp!
Lisa, please tell us about the production of your frisch Beutel.
The Space Bag, Wind Bag, Cork Bag and many other different versions of our bags and pouches are made with love in our studio in Frankfurt am Main, where we just moved to from our hometown Speyer. The upscale materials for the strictly limited collections come from local production and we place high value on functionality, style and personality.
What does frisch Beutel mean to you?
frisch Beutel is simple, elegant and made to last, using only ethically sourced and quality materials. The concept of frisch Beutel is to create special and individual bags for daily use. We want to offer products we’d always love to use ourselves. The label also means to discover new fields of design, handcraft and economic subjects at the same time. To combine our characters and skills is the perfect match and we love doing it.
Tell us more about your pop-up experience at Bikini Berlin, what did it mean to your young brand?
Our pop-up week was a great experience and chance – it strengthened us in what we are doing. It was the first time that we sold our products during one week in a store. We met a lot of nice people and had interesting conversations. We also had the chance to watch the customers’ behavior, what they like most and what they would like us to do differently.
Where do you find your inspiration?
Lisa: I get a lot of inspiration from traveling and by watching my environment. Also the different jobs I had like working on a film set, visiting the great fabric fair „première vision“ in Paris or design markets give me inspiration. But it can happen anywhere and anytime!
Katharina: I find my inspiration in everyday life. It’s like collecting forms, colors, surfaces and structures, usually unconsciously. I think this special way of perceiving your environment is what creative working people have in common.
Who is the boss of which compartment?
The fact both of us are coming from two different areas of design, fashion and graphic helps us a lot. What we always do together is to look for new materials, fabrics, leather and their combinations. We love to talk about new models and how to wear and combine them. There is a piece of both in every frisch product.
You will find the following things in my frisch Beutel:
Lisa: Lipstick, pieces of a bread with liver sausage, crumbs of tobacco (I use the front bag for tobacco), a lot of money (kidding), phone, keys, sun glasses with glasses lace, refreshing tissues with the smell of cologne water (it’s a gesture from my grandmother), sometimes cold drinks.
Katharina: Headphones, so I can listen to music when I’m on the road. Sometimes ping-pong paddles, a few bottles of beer or my bikini and a towel in it. My frisch Beutel is my trusty companion!
If you wanna learn more about frisch Beutel and buy the products online, just go to their online shop.
Where to find us
