YKRA:
ABOUT BACKPACKS AND PLANTS
Inspired by legendary climbers, surfers and snowboarders, influenced by colorful retro polyester fashion, and striving to find the perfect balance between style and performance, YKRA is born. Founded in 2012 by Balázs Lakatos and his wife Judit, YKRA crafts simplistic backpacks with the finest quality materials in Hungary. We couldn’t find a better partner for the cotton canvas backpacks exclusively designed to celebrate Bobo Choses TEN YEARS YOUNG. We interviewed Balázs to learn more about YKRA and his plants.
Meet YKRA on: https://ykra.net/
Bobo Choses – What is YKRA and how did it come about with the idea?
YKRA is a cool backpack brand from Hungary. We make vintage style backpacks and accessories with a colorful twist. I came up with the idea when I couldn’t find any cool backpacks that I felt were authentic, and made from nice materials. I wanted something that felt like it was transported from the past with a time machine.
B – Why is it important for children to love plants and take care of them?
Y – You know, if the people cutting out the rainforest had loved and cared for plants as children, they would never do what they do. Plant are our friends, they give us life, oxygen, fruits and vegetables, and medicine, so I think it’s super important that children have the opportunity to care for plants. When I was a child, I spent my summers in my grandparents garden, and it gave me a love for plants for a life. I have around a hundred plants at home, and I try to keep them all happy.
B – Do plants have feelings?
Y – Yes, they do!
B – What was the first plant that had a special meaning for you?
Y – I ate the leaf of a poisonous Dieffenbachia Picta for mothers day when I was one, and the story was told to me so many times, that I learned the name pretty quickly as a child. It wasn’t the plants fault though, and I still care for this plant, although we keep it out of reach from my child.
B – What are your three favorite plants / flowers?
Y – I love them all equally, but if I had to pick three: Monstera Deliciosa, Hibiscus and Lavender.
B – Do you have any special childhood memories about plants?
Y – Oh, yes! In my grandmother’s garden, there were all kind of plants everywhere. It was a jungle, a real little garden of Eden. They tended to it with love, and ate the fruits and the vegetables that they planted and cared for. The paths in the garden were lined with beautiful flowers, that smelled and looked incredible. I hope I will have my own garden like this one day.
B – They say plants grow differently depending on the type of music they’re exposed to. Your plants, what do they listen to?
Y – We give them only the best selection of sounds. You can listen to it right here.
B – There are secret gardens that take us out of daily reality and immerse ourselves in a world of sensory delight. What are your favorite secret gardens around the world?
Y – I love the gardens of Paris, mostly Jardin de Luxembourg, or the Boulogne which is like a little forest in the city. In Budapest, my favourite secret garden is the Károlyi Kert.
