Our Story

The Notabag Story

Heavy traffic. Horns honking. Balance getting shaky. Grocery bags hitting the front wheel.

Notabag founder, Adnan Alicusic, found himself narrowly avoiding an accident on his bicycle, carrying groceries in traffic. It made him wish he had brought his backpack instead of struggling with the plastic sliding along his handlebars. The cogs began turning in his head, and he was inspired to create the original tote bag-backpack hybrid.

He wanted a simple solution that could fit in his pocket, so he could use it only when needed. Smaller and less cumbersome than a normal backpack, but practical and easier to carry than a tote bag, Notabag came to life.

He and fashion designer friend, Ilaria Gregianin, got to work on prototypes in their apartments until they were confident that they could bring the product to market. They registered the patent before launching a successful Kickstarter campaign that more than doubled their original goal.

Since then, Notabag has grown a small core team and become an established brand. We have collaborated with museums such as the Guggenheim and the Whitney in New York, major brands like Audi, Red Bull, Vitra and Wikipedia, and are appearing in exclusive stores, such as Merci in Paris, MoMa Design Store in NYC and San Francisco, and Nordstrom across the USA.