Everyone has it; the trick is to carry it elegantly. 

We are all damaged in diverse, stubborn and interesting ways: someone humiliated us a long time ago; we witnessed bitter rows between our parents; we had anxieties around self-worth fuelled by comparison with a high-achieving sibling; an early business venture ended in disaster; we have a tendency to obsessive independence that makes it hard to live with anyone else; we have a rebellious streak which seemed cute at sixteen but now gets in the way of working amicably with others...

It’s not possible to go through life without burdens of this kind. But it makes an enormous difference whether we know how to acknowledge them and whether we understand them. When we fail at this, we get defensive and bitter. We claim we're not lacking self-confidence, it's just that other people are full of themselves. We insist we're not envious; it's that other people are greedy. We say we're not rebellious, but the world is too conformist. And we're definitely not hard to live with; it's just our partners who have turned out to be pathetic.

This is emotional baggage badly carried. At The School of Life, we believe in trying to learn ways to be more deft about the damage we are burdened with: how to fathom it, how to set it in context and how to warn others of its existence in good time (when we are still calm).This bag celebrates one of the most glamorous projects any of us can undertake: learning how to carry our emotional baggage well.

Heavy-duty canvas tote | navy blue with white print | khaki green with white print | 100% cotton | 37.5 x 40 cm