Tote Bag by Öykü Özgencil

Öykü Özgencil designed the tote bag series for the Atlas collection, taking inspiration from the astronomy works of Harran and from the connection the people of Harran keep with their land.

The collection as a whole translates Mesopotamian knowledge and aesthetics into contemporary design, with handmade production by women in Harran.

The Atlas Harran Design Collection begins with a simple but ambitious idea: that the knowledge and aesthetics of ancient Mesopotamia can speak meaningfully to the present. Rather than treating the past as a distant artifact, the collection reads it as a living vocabulary of symbols, forms, and beliefs that still resonate today. Curated with care by the founders of in-between.online, the project brings global design discussion together with social responsibility and a sustainable design economy, inviting contemporary creatives to translate inherited imagery into objects meant for everyday use. Each piece carries that layered intention, connecting settled civilizations with the rhythms of modern life.

Central to the collection is the sky above Harran and the land beneath it. Astronomy, celestial bodies, cycles of the moon and sun, and the old astral beliefs of the region's people all feed into the visual language of the designs. Motifs drawn from this heritage appear across textiles, tableware, wall hangings, and accessories, always reinterpreted rather than merely reproduced. Designers in the collection approach these references with restraint and curiosity, letting symbolism sit lightly within clean, contemporary shapes. The result is work that feels both rooted and current, honoring tradition without becoming nostalgic or fixed in place.

What holds the collection together is a commitment to people as much as to form. Handmade production by women in Harran gives the objects a human scale and a direct link to the community whose culture they draw from, while the broader project keeps social aspects and sustainable practice in view. Warm amber accents against deep charcoal and generous white space echo the balance the designs seek between earth and sky, weight and light. In this way the collection reads as a continuous translation, carried forward by creatives who treat Mesopotamian knowledge as a resource for the future rather than a relic of the past.