Alain Zanchetta - Courageous design for daily use

People in wheelchairs have their hands full. When Swiss designer Alain Zanchetta watches acquaintances and relatives who are dependent on “wheels”, he sees how hard their hands work to keep the vehicle moving. In addition, of course, they need to use their hands for everyday tasks. Even transporting small items is tricky. Shopping in supermarkets often becomes a balancing act.

In the summer of 2016, Zanchetta came up with a brilliant idea. A bag that becomes a practical assistant thanks to a removable extra base: a leather tray into which you can put things quickly and safely, and immediately continue your journey. No cumbersome storage. And no juggling.

The bag, christened “Trasporta”, has an even more convincing advantage: it is chic and modern. Not just “made for wheelchair users”, but for anyone who loves beautiful bags. Alain Zanchetta has realised his vision of Inclusive Design and Universal Design. “Trasporta” is flexible. Simple. And above all: non-discriminatory.

All was well…or at least well-intentioned. 

But a cold blast of reality soon threatened to extinguish his enthusiasm. Zanchetta wanted to test and improve the product together with wheelchair users – at the Swiss Paraplegic Centre in Nottwil. He offered several paraplegic people a free bag to try out. The bag was very popular and even had its first fans. But there were a few testers who didn’t like the product, or the idea behind it, at all: “We don't need any help, and certainly not a handicapped bag!” was one comment. “The handicapped person in this case is you,” was another. Zanchetta, himself walking-impaired from birth, was very much affected by this negative feedback. “I even considered burying the project.”

But Alain Zanchetta did not give up. “Raphael Rossel, who supports my Trasporta project in two ways, also kept encouraging me – he is Managing Director of Ikea Foundation Switzerland, which has supported the project since March 2018. And he’s my head coach at Creative Hub.” Immediately after completing his studies in Object Design at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Zanchetta applied to the Creative Hub coaching programme and won over the entire jury. “The Creative Link seminars gave me a lot of support. I have learned how to structure my projects, to set myself deadlines and, above all, to think not only like a designer but also like an entrepreneur.”

As the coaching progressed, his courage returned. Zanchetta decided to do a second test, this time in his home canton of Ticino, and in a less clinical environment. And this time, the responses he received were consistently positive. “Many testers were visibly touched by the fact that, for a few minutes a day, a bag can make their lives easier. Some have been using ‘Trasporta’ every day since and would never want to do without.”

For the designer, this was the green light for marketing the bag professionally. “Right now, I am developing my initials AZ into the AtoZED brand. Next, I want to launch e‑commerce quickly. The work is really starting now, and I can make the most of what I learned in Creative Hub coaching.”

Zanchetta still works on each bag himself, together with seamstresses in Switzerland and Italy. As his success grows, he will also have to make entrepreneurial decisions here. Zanchetta: “After all, I don’t want to stop at the bag; I want to create other useful products.” 

He sees the Trasporta project as a decisive trigger: “It helped me to change my view of everyday life and to adopt different perspectives. I want to keep putting that to good use. For design that is accessible to everyone.”