Material Matters
Harlequin Kids sets the benchmark in Australian school bag and accessory design!
Harlequin Kid's environmental and humanitarian ethos is the driving force behind our development of new materials and innovative production techniques. We create and manufacture only the highest quality products that are eco-friendly and safe for all children to use. Today, we are proud that this ethos is still the foundation on which we design our bags for you.
A school bag/accessory should be first and foremost functional. So how we make our products and what materials we use, matters!
When we create our products, we think long and hard about how they will be used and who is using them. We don’t need to tell you that your kids are hard on their school bags and school accessories! Whether they are taking them to and from school every day, using them in the classroom or taking them to the sports field, there is a good chance they are going to be slinging their bags around, throwing them down at the bus stop, getting them wet and generally subjecting their school bags to a good, healthy amount of roughhousing.
So, what does that mean? It means that durability is a must! It is the defining quality of every single product we make. To make sure our products are durable, functional and reliable, we do extensive research and development. Here is where we could bore you with all kinds of fancy manufacturing words like; prototypes, thermoforming, and Product Life Cycle Analysis, but really what it all comes down to, is to make sure that our products can all withstand the ‘Kid Test’, so that you are getting the quality you deserve.
Let’s talk about quality for a minute. You know the old adage – “You Get What You Pay For”. Well this is something we firmly believe. Sure, you can go out and buy a backpack for the price of three coffees at some of the bigger, cheaper department stores, but will they last for your kid’s entire school career? Or will they just add to landfill when they fall apart in the middle of the school year? We know that it’s probably the latter as durability and sustainability go hand in hand.
Another thing to consider when purchasing items for your kids is, fair wages and ethical working conditions. People deserve to be paid fairly for they work they do, and work in an environment where the health and safety is never in question. We are committed to paying our artisans (they should be called wizards for what they manage to produce) for the work they do, which also provides other benefits like healthcare, housing and education.
So when you pay more for an item from Harlequin, not only are paying for quality, durability and sustainability, but you making a decision to support ethical manufacturing!
For information on how to clean and look after your Harlequin products also visit our Terms & Conditions page.
Here’s the low-down on the bits and pieces that come together to make our bags and accessories, the best in the market.
DURAGARDE™ fabric has been the principal component in the engineering of Harlequin’s Tuff- Pack range of school bags for the past two decades. Backed with a lifetime warranty and strictly complying with ECHA (the European regulatory body for the safe use of chemicals in the community), the REACH compliant, 100% PVC free fabric has been specifically constructed to withstand the rigours of day-to-day school life. Treated with antibacterial water repellent coatings, the tough yet lightweight fabric ensures a high-performance resistance to mould, stains and tears.
PVC FREE
Harlequin products have been produced completely free of any element of PVC vinyl fabric. Polyvinylcholoride is a major source of Phthalates, which pose major environmental and health concerns.
MEDICALLY ENDORSSED
Each of our ergonomic Tuff-Packs®, with its unique Anatomical Back System™, has been examined and independently endorsed by Chiropractors, Osteopaths and Physiotherapists.
WATER REPELLENT
Harlequin fabrics are treated twice with an environmentally friendly non-toxic water repellent process to protect the interior contents of each product from water damage and moisture.
QUALITY ZIPPERS
Harlequin zippers are ergonomically designed, built tough with a lifetime warranty.
SPINAL SUPPORT
On selected styles, Harlequin's spinal support is integrated inside the Anatomical Back System™. The aluminium spinal rod is extremely lightweight and contours to the "S" shape of the child's spine, which helps alleviate back pain in children by promoting good posture.
ERGONOMIC
Our school Tuff-Packs® have been properly classified as ergonomic by health care experts. Specifically designed to the curvature of a child's spine, each bag incorporates Harlequin's Anatomical Back System™, making our Tuff-Packs® super comfy and the lightest backpacks on the market.
SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT
Harlequin has the lightest range of backpacks in Australia. One of our essential design protocols in the creation of our Tuff-Packs® is to ensure that every backpack is made as strong and light as possible, thus helping to alleviate back strain.
ENHANCED VISIBILITY
To ensure children are more visible at night. Harlequin incorporates safety reflector materials into each bag.
REACH COMPLIANT
Strictly complies with REACH and ECHA standards that harmful Phthalates have not been used in the material coating of the fabrics and that the fabric coating is non-toxic. REACH is the European Community Regulation body on chemicals and their safe use within our environment and community. ECHA is the driving force among regulatory authorities in implementing the EU's chemicals legislation for the benefit of human health and the environment.
NO CHILD LABOUR
Harlequin takes its social and humanitarian responsibilities very seriously. To ensure fair trade across all our production processes, we personally inspect the manufacturing locations and working conditions of the people that produce our products for you both domestically and internationally.
RECYCLED P.E.T FABRIC
Proudly, Harlequin was the first company in the world to design and manufacture a high quality range of school bags made from 100% recycled plastic bottles - P.E.T fabric. Plastic bottles are crushed and broken down into pellets, which are then re-spun into yarn to be re-sewn into new bags - brilliant!
LEAD FREE
Made with food safe, lead free, non-toxic PVC inner lining.