What the Project Is
Since 1972, TOM BIHN has been designing and manufacturing premium, durable bags and accessories. Specializing in high-quality backpacks, travel bags, crossbody bags, tote bags, organizers, and other travel accessories, the project combines artisan craftsmanship with innovative design. Each bag is handcrafted in Seattle from top-grade materials, ensuring longevity and practicality for daily use, travel, and gifting. The process is all about passion, creative rigor, and that authentic hands-on feel… all starting in that vibrant factory showroom at 4750A Ohio Ave S and retail store at 194 Bellevue Square in the Seattle area.
Main Benefit
- Over five decades of experience in bag design and fabrication
- A legacy that started in humble beginnings as a one-person workshop in Santa Cruz, CA
- Handcrafted quality with a focus on durability and practicality
- A Nexus of design, manufacturing, shipping, customer service, and marketing in one collaborative HQ
- Commitment to developing innovative fabrics and materials
Working Together
The TOM BIHN team — design, manufacturing, shipping, customer service, and marketing — works closely together at their HQ in Seattle, WA. The environment is all about collaboration, problem-solving, and innovation. Sharing a physical workspace cultivates an atmosphere where ideas flow freely. It definitely makes for a better bag, and it brings a fun, dynamic energy to the whole operation… evident in every stitch.
How It All Began
The story starts with a young Tom at just 10 years old… faced with a choice: earn money with an after-school job or figure out how to make the desired hiking and camping equipment himself. Tom chose the latter, with a little help along the way: his grandmother’s old Singer home sewing machine, assistance from his brother Dan to get the machine running, lessons from his mom on sewing, and foundational engineering insights from his dad. From these humble beginnings in Santa Cruz to a thriving team in Seattle, the mission has consistently been to craft the best bags possible.
Creativity and Innovation
The company proudly boasts a unique structure: big enough to develop its own fabrics and small enough to maintain the intimacy of a tight-knit family. The creative process is not bound by convention—whether it’s working on new designs, developing new materials, refining internal procedures, programming custom software, updating the website, or taking new photos—the approach is distinctly hands-on. This get-things-done attitude is driven by decades of experience in what works and what doesn’t in bag design and fabrication. It’s a journey of learning, experimentation, and ever-evolving innovation.
Project Impact
- SDG 9 – Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
- SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production
- SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities
Customer Connection
The success and evolution of TOM BIHN is deeply intertwined with its customers. It’s not just about the physical products—the connection runs much deeper. The fact that customers choose these bags gives the company the ability to push boundaries in design and innovation. More importantly, the feedback from the users provides valuable insights that drive improvements and refined functionalities in each new bag design. The customer, quite literally, is as much part of the project as the team itself. Every thoughtful purchase, every piece of constructive feedback, serves to build a better bag and a more robust relationship between the product and its users. In this way, the journey of creating functional, beautifully designed bags continues, fueled by decades of tradition, creative innovation, and a genuinely customer-centric philosophy.
