Sturdy companions Firemen jackets too good to be thrown out

Bonn · Smart idea: Two Bonn guys turn old fire brigade gear into bags and rucksacks. The business with the sturdy companions is booming.

This is a courier trip that tailor Idris Suleiman regularly does himself. From the tailor’s shop in Mehlen to the shop in Dransdorf. In his Mercedes estate, stuffed with bags in all sizes and variations. In the boot, on the back seat, and even on the passenger seat there are bags on top of bags. „Yeah, it became a lot“, says Suleiman.

So much even, that he now employs three people who only look after the so-called „Hupfbags“. Hupfbags? „Those bags and rucksacks are made from old fire brigade gear“, explains Marcus Vogel. Five years ago, the man from Bonn had the idea for the unusual accessory. Hupf means (careful, long German expression!) „Herstellungs- und Prüfungsbeschreibung für eine universelle Feuerwehrschutzbekleidung“, basically translating into „manufacturing and examination description for universal fire brigade protective gear“. And that’s exactly how the success story started. As a paramedic and fireman, Vogel held his old fire jacket in his hands. It was singed, and was supposed to be thrown out. „But I thought, that jacket is too good to be thrown out.“ His friend Suleiman brought the necessary tailoring skills to the idea.

For a year they fiddled about their first model, the folded bag „Florian“, named after the patron saint of all fire fighters. When they brought the first 30 to a trade fair, they were sold out immediately. The Hupfbags became a bestseller. At first they sold just a few bags per week, now it’s several per day, over the internet and in Vogel’s shop for fire brigade and paramedic supply store „Alarmtrakt“.

„The logistics are a huge issue“, says Vogel. He gets the old gear mainly from fire brigades in Bonn and the Rhine-Sieg area. Due to special coating on the fabric, the clothes can’t be disposed off in the normal waste anyway, they need to be recycled professionally. Vogel gets the gear for free, but in return he has to take care of the „rubbish“, which needs to be replenished and cleaned. Sometimes there is a shortfall of the gold/yellow-coloured gear which is much rarer in Germany than the dark blue coats and trousers. „Which is why I import it from the United States, where that kind of gear is far more popular“, explains the 37-year-old. The guys are constantly thinking of new designs, „Florian“ is now available in S, M and L. There is also a wallet, sports bags in different sizes and even a dog jacket. Vogel offers a range of about 25 products, all „made in Bonn“.

„Every three month we add a new model.“ Fashion is a fast moving business. And he wants to protect himself from copycats, imitating the design and functions of the bags. Often it’s the customers who inspire him to change details, like a stronger zip or more reflective stripes. Sometimes the bag business is quite touching, too. When the family of a deceased fireman asks for his jacket to be turned into a bag, for example. Other custom-made bags are particularly lovely on the other hand: „We are currently working on a nappy changing bag, made from the jacket of a new dad.“ (Original text:Nicolas Ottersbach Translation: Mareike Graepel)

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