CIVILIAN GOODS’s cork canvas tote is our ultimate fashion fail-safe. Lightweight, fuss-free and durable, we’ve carried this bag from home to meetings to the beach and back. We chatted up with the husband and wife duo in Hong Kong to find out how they got started back in 2011.

What inspired you to launch your own brand?

“We love to craft. We enjoy the simplicity of designing and making stuff. With a team of expert crafters in our team, we decide to start our business and share our designed products with the public.”

Where does the magic happen?

“We spend most of our time creating and designing at home. The design concept for our workspace is to create a comfortable atmosphere. We use a natural color palette as our theme– washed wooden furniture, grey concrete lamps and hemp materials to give a warm and homey feeling while we work. Our space also directly reflects our brand’s objective- through creating simple design products, we provide pleasant and familiar feelings to the shopper.”

How would you describe your designs?

“Simple, minimal, functional, clean and timeless.”

What inspires your designs?

“We draw inspiration from our daily lives and our travels. Going to work daily can be very boring for some people, but for us, we like to observe what’s around us and find new routes going to work so that we can experience everyday differently - people that we meet, colors that we see, how people interact with each other can also give us inspiration for our collection.”

Browse CIVILIAN GOODS’s items.