BACKGROUND

The innovative Bagmate® was inspired in 1998 when founder, Jennifer Nicoll, found herself in a London pub with nowhere to put her bag except on the sticky, beer stained floor. As she was travelling alone, security was an issue at all levels and she was driven to find a solution.

Research and Development

After returning to Australia in 2000, Jennifer was on the look out for new ideas, however it wasn’t until April 2006 that the Bagmate® was developed.  Jennifer gathered a team to research and design a hook that could easily be fixed under any table.

The goal was to design a functional and ergonomic hook with the following three factors in mind:

• Convenience
• Security
• Health

Women know every inch of their handbags, but what’s on the outside may be more of a concern. It's not just bad restaurant food that can cause illness; sometimes what you don’t know will hurt you. A handbag goes a lot of places during a day from the office, public toilets to tabletops and the floor of the car.

Research by microbiologist, Amy Karen of Nelson Labs, Salt Lake, has found that the majority of women do not stop to think about what is on the bottom of their handbags. However, setting handbags near food preparation areas is a common occurrence. The research has also shown that there are numerous harmful bacteria on the average handbag. Four out of five handbags tested positive for salmonella, with leather and vinyl handbags rating cleaner than fabric bags. These can cause eye and skin infections as well as other severe illnesses.  Lifestyle factors also play a role in handbag hygiene including having children and frequenting nightclubs.

The Bagmate® hooks are designed to keep handbags bacteria and dirt free at restaurants, bars, office, toilets and home.

Read MEDIA for more related information.