FREITAG Sets a New Standard for Circular Craft with a New Repair Kiosk in Zurich

Black Friday weekend may normally be a frenzy of impulse buying and one day only deals, but Zurich based FREITAG has decided to point the spotlight somewhere entirely different this year. Instead of pushing new products, the brand known for turning industrial truck tarps into urban icons is inviting its community to bring their old favourites back to life.

On Saturday 29 November, right beside the FREITAG Flagship Store, the company opens a compact new repair kiosk that captures the heart of its circular ethos. The space is small at around ten square metres, but the ambition behind it is anything but. Offering the most extensive repair menu FREITAG has ever launched, the kiosk arrives with an opening celebration that makes a clear statement. The first five customers at each participating repair station across Zurich, Munich, Milan, Taipei, Melbourne, Bangkok Siam, Tokyo Shibuya and Seoul Apgujeong will receive their entire repair free.

For a brand whose bags have become cult objects across Europe and far beyond, this is not a marketing gesture. It is a continuation of a philosophy that has been part of FREITAG’s identity since the nineties. Their Bag Doctors already perform thousands of repairs every year, from replacing zips and hook and loop closures to refreshing straps, bike tubes, seams and patches across tired tarps. In 2024 alone, close to ten thousand bags and accessories were revived, an all time record for the company. As Repair Team Lead Morena Eberle puts it, the aim has always been to give the bags themselves the second life their tarps once had.

The new Zurich kiosk pushes this mission even further. Positioned directly beside the Flagship Store, it brings accessibility to the forefront, offering a walk up window where customers can choose their repair from a menu as if they were ordering from a city takeaway. Depending on the job, some bags can even be collected the same day thanks to newly introduced express services. The kiosk is deliberately built using reused materials, including a circular test tarp awning and repurposed factory signage from Zurich Oerlikon. Even the physical structure of the space reinforces the message.

Crucially, the kiosk is more than a repair shop. Alongside the classic Bag Doctor services and new repair options, visitors can access free spare parts and even try their hand at FREITAG Yourself, the brand’s DIY station which encourages customers to customise and maintain their own pieces. Sustainability and Circularity Lead Peter Hollenstein describes the goal simply. Inspire customers with durability, ensure their bags last even longer, and dramatically reduce the number of FREITAG products that ever end up discarded.

The repair kiosk is only one part of a wider movement within the company. FREITAG has built a portfolio of services designed to extend every stage of the product life cycle, from its bag exchange platform to a travel bag rental service, a design your own experience, and a recently successful secondhand pilot programme. The brand has even completed its first truly circular products by introducing a take back scheme and partnering with specialist recyclers.

In an era when most brands still focus on the next seasonal drop, FREITAG continues to reimagine what responsible fashion can look like. With its new Zurich repair kiosk, the message is unmistakable. The future is built on what we already own, and when craft meets commitment, even the most hard wearing materials can begin again.