Isobel Murray is the creator of the fun and playful bags which you may have seen on your Tik Tok or Instagram for you page - Clingy Bags.
As soon as you meet Izzy, you can tell that creativity is her lifeblood. Dressed in a pink and orange tulle jumpsuit worn over the top of wide leg trackies, she excitedly rummages to pick out the perfect bag to accessories her outfit while I set myself up for our chat.
To my left is her rainbow, color coordinated wardrobe, to my right sits her desk, bookshelf and full-length mirror with drawings and small art pieces scattered throughout. Her collection of Clingy bags adorns her bedroom walls, hung not too dissimilar to paintings proudly displayed in the Louvre.
I sit down on her bed, noticing the comically large Clingy Bag pillow, which we snuggle up next to as we begin our interview.
Born in Toowoomba, Izzy grew up as a self-described theater kid. She loved to sing, dance, perform and dress up in outlandish costumes. Her heart always lay within the creative space, however she also loved math and science. Torn between the two worlds, after finishing high school she accepted a graduate position at a bank in Sydney, leaving her creative pursuits to sit silently that she would one day return to.
After working tirelessly at her corporate job for five years, the pressure and workload began to wear away at her. Slowly but surely, she started to lose her sense of identity, falling victim to severe anxiety and panic attacks.
“The more time I spent in corporate, the more unhappy, stressed and anxious I became. I was doing something that wasn't authentic to me, and it got to a point where I couldn't ignore that. There was a desperation to just create something.”
After facing this realization, Izzy made the difficult decision to quit and focus on what brought her true joy. Creating art, a slower lifestyle and reconnecting with her inner artist which she had lost once leaving high school.
Fast forward to 2020 and Cling Bags was born!
Another example the comic nature of Izzy is seen in her Tik Tok skits, where she will dress up as different characters, using different props and crafting up big ideas and executing them with confidence and charisma. Whether conscious or not, Izzy is stepping back into the theater and preforming for her peers, however the audience she’s preforming to is now online.
“I feel most myself when I am playing and being silly.”
Her latest collection is a testament to her creative expression, titled “Office Hours.” A call back to her time working in Sydney, Office Hours showcases bags such as a large oversize novelty tie bag, “The Big Boss Tie”, a suit pant bag aptly named “Dress Code” and the “Serious Lappy Clinger,” where the image of a laptop is printed onto the panels of the bag. All and all, it feels like a hilarious piss take of the corporate world.
As we move through life, it tends to become more serious the older we get. It’s harder to laugh as we’re faced with the inevitable complications and heartaches that the world can throw at us. It can feel as though we almost have to be draped in black clothing in order for us to be taken seriously. Clingy is your steppingstone to grant yourself permission to be playful once again, to reconnect with your inner child and dress up in something other than your black tote bag and puffer jacket. Whether you’re adding a cute bow tie bag to your outfit, or a bag made from a shirt (yes, the bag is a button down shirt.) Clingy is pure joy, which comes straight from the heart of Izzy.