Objects of Substance – The Calico Sling Bag

Shouldering history: the Grammar sling bag

In 2013, a small pilot group of students were testing the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) concept. As a result of this successful trial, in 2014, the laptop became compulsory for each Girls Grammar student. This, coupled with textbooks, writing gear, notepaper, and any other item deemed necessary by a teacher or student, confronted each girl with a serious juggling act as she climbed the CLC steps from Instrumental Music on level one to her Art class on level six or ran up Gehrmann Lane from Physical Education to the Science block. Grammar students are always resourceful and so one solution was to carry the load in a kaleidoscope of bags: Country Road canvas bags; Sportsgirl sling bags; shopping bags; and other colourful combinations. Not a good look! As a current mother in 2014 and Old Girls Association (OGA) Executive member, Salliann Powell (Johnson, 1986), put her creativity to work to produce a range of attractive memorabilia for the OGA and provide a practical solution for the unattractive plethora of casual bags being carried between classes.

2014 Original bag design