Stories of Bags: The Moschino Tartan
Or, when a bag becomes a symbol of freedom.
There are bags one remembers for what they represent.
Before Studio Tondini existed, before bags became objects to study and design, there was an image fixed in Roberta Tondini’s memory: her older sister Daniela picking her up at elementary school after getting her driving licence.
One hand carrying her favourite Moschino bag.
The other, the car radio she had just removed from the dashboard.
To a child, this looked like absolute freedom.
“As children, we often observe adulthood through objects before we understand it through words.”
The bag belonged to Moschino’s I Believe in Punk-Chic collection: tartan cotton, bold proportions, unexpected metallic details, a deliberately irreverent spirit typical of the fashion language of Franco Moschino.
In the 1980s and 1990s especially, tartan became associated with rebellion, individuality, and self-expression - qualities that Moschino translated into fashion with irony and confidence.
And Daniela wore it effortlessly.
Image: Moschino I Believe in Punk-Chic Bag from the personal collection of Roberta Tondini.
The Art of Choice: What do you remember most vividly about Daniela carrying that bag?
Roberta Tondini: “The sense of movement around her. She was always going somewhere. Her life revolved around university, friends, music. To me, that bag became associated with independence before I even fully understood what independence meant.
I also remember how naturally she wore it. Nothing looked studied. It simply belonged to her way of being.”
Do you remember what she would wear with it?
“Very effortless combinations. Denim, oversized sweaters, sharp coats, sometimes very simple pieces balanced by stronger details. That bag somehow worked with everything she touched.
Looking back, I think what impressed me most was not the bag itself, but the confidence behind it.”
And what did that object represent to you as a child?
“Freedom. Strength.
But also womanhood, certainly. To me, my sister became a woman carrying that bag.
As children, we often observe adulthood through objects before we understand it through words. That bag became one of those symbols for me.”
“To me, my sister became a woman carrying that bag.”
Looking back today, it is perhaps unsurprising that certain ideas later found their way into Studio Tondini’s philosophy.
The belief that objects accompany identity.
That strong style does not need to overpower individuality.
That craftsmanship belongs most meaningfully to everyday life.
Even today, the idea of effortless modern craft for the everyday remains deeply connected to that early fascination: objects with personality, designed not to overpower the individual, but to move naturally with them.
Perhaps this is also why some bags remain with us long after trends disappear.
Because what we remember is rarely only the object itself.
It is who we became while looking at it.
What is the first bag - or object - that shaped your idea of adulthood, style, or freedom?
We would be glad to read your thoughts.
Amazing article🩷