Healthy back bags, anyone?

It doesn’t really matter what reason one has for choosing a particular bag. Most ladies would swoon over designer bags, others simply want something that suits their every mood and everyday clothes.

The options are varied and endless with new collections coming up in both the local and international markets regularly.

But for retail and merchandising company Primer Group, aside from form and functionality, a bag should be comfortable and “healthy” to the spine and should improve the body’s posture.

To address this need, the company recently unveiled its revolutionary Healthy Back Bag which it promises to be “ergonomic” with all the trappings of a comfortable, versatile and secure bag.

“The bag combines style, functionality and ‘healthy’ for all ages and lifestyles. Healthy Back Bag is an innovative new product that is not only stylish but also beneficial for the back,” says Nancy Evans, Primer’s director of global business development for Healthy Back Bag, before members of the press who attended the launch in Mandaluyong.

Teardrop shape

The unique design of Healthy Back Bags was born out of a need by Irwin and Margery Gaffin who thought of coming up with a concept that eases the burden of the spine and lower back, Evans relates.

Developed in partnership with chiropractors and doctors, the bag’s patented teardrop shape and one-strap “backbag” equally distributes the weight of the bag across key touch points, contouring it to the natural curve of the spine.

These benefits are known to improve posture and reduce pressure on neck, shoulders and back, explains Dr. Jojo Gaddi of St Luke’s Medical Center Orthopedics, Arthroscopy and Sports Medicine Department.

He furthers that improper ways of carrying the bags can add “injury to our back and could cause lower back pains” common to 80 percent of the adult population. In his presentation, Gaddi also notes that most women suffer pain from carrying heavy handbags.

Children who carry heavy school bags are likewise vulnerable to having severe back problems later in their lives.

Stylish and functional

For a relatively new product, the Healthy Back Bags are doing “extremely well” on the market, says Evans. The primary target buyers are 35-40 year-old women who are known “to patronize stylish and functional bags.” Secondary market is the 20-30 year old women.

She also notes how the company puts premium on developing bags that address the needs of the market and how careful research is being done to come up with new items. “There’s a science in the development of bags,” she quips.

Reiterating its promise of quality and health benefits says Evans: “It’s a privilege to be involved in the development of an up-and-coming brand, one which is truly unique, crossing the boundaries between fashion, form and functionality, both stylish and telling a legitimate health benefit story.”

The Healthy Back Bags come in a variety of colors and styles: Distressed Nylon, The Baglet and Microfibre. It can be worn on either shoulder or cross-body so the bag contours naturally to the curve of your back, hanging asymmetrically and distributing the weight evenly throughout the length of the bag, rather than from one point on the shoulder.

The bags are exclusively distributed by the Primer Group of Companies at all Travel Club stores nationwide.