After graduation in 2007, I bought this Calvin Klein tote bag with my first pay check. It has followed me through a couple of different jobs, and has carried all sorts of things from documents to laptops and my lunch box. Over the years, the material on the outside has deteriorated and the bag has frayed a little bit.

It has now been relegated as a grocery bag—a classier-looking one. But it is pretty small so it cannot really carry much. Probably just two packets of milk and that is pretty much it. I have actually wanted to throw it away a number of times, but it is like one of those Marie Kondo moments when you look at the bag and know it still makes you happy.

The tote bag is surprisingly well-maintained on the inside. In keeping with the owner’s wish to use the bag for as long as possible, I have flipped it inside-out, giving it a new face.

However, inner-lining fabric tends to be thin and less durable. To strengthen and protect the bag, a cotton cord was coiled around and stitched onto the base and lower half, where it is most susceptible to scratches. The cord forms a mesh which also serves to provide additional storage space on the outside. This increase in capacity should be useful for its new use as a grocery bag.

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