Singer-Songwriters Jason Mraz & Aizat Amdan With Sustainable Biji Biji Bags

By: Supriya Sivabalan

It was an absolute honour for Biji Biji to have met Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Jason Mraz when he serenaded his Malaysian fans with a visit during his “Good Vibes” Concert Tour back in May last year. During the time, we were also thrilled with the opportunity of meeting the locally renowned Malaysian artist, Aizat Amdan, too! 

Jason Mraz ready to take on the Energy Playground by Biji-biji

Presenting the Biji Biji Bags

Backstage at Axiata Arena where the concert was held, we gifted both Jason and Aizat with a Biji Biji bag from our Classic Seat Belt collection! Norashahera Mertens, co-founder of Biji Biji handpicked both gifts from our wide range of products in our seat belt collection to personally suit both Jason and Aizat’s preferences. 

Jason with the Mawar handbag and Aizat with his Merbau Duffel Bag!

Jason’s latest album is dedicated to his wife, so we specially picked out our stunning Mawar handbag - for him to present it to his beloved significant other. Chic, classy and minimalistic - a universally beautiful design we’re sure she’s going to adore! According to one of the Biji-biji representatives who was present at the event, Jason was extremely excited to receive such a unique bag and was highly impressed with the unconventional seat belt material. Well, it’s all “Yours” now, Jason!

For Aizat on the other hand, we gifted the impressive Merbau duffel bag as he mentioned that he was looking for something similar. Aizat was actually familiar with both Biji Biji and Biji-biji Initiative and was extremely delighted to receive one of our products. He is very on-board with what we do and is proud to be the owner of an upcycled Biji Biji bag!

The Biji-biji Initiative 

In collaboration with local NGO SOLS 24/7, Biji-biji brought the Energy Playground experience to Jason Mraz and a group of Orang Asli kids (courtesy of SOLS 24/7) with custom-made bikes inspired by Jason’s latest album - Pete the Cat. With its abstract and psychedelic-esque cover; Biji-biji translated it to a design of their own, and customized stunning energy bicycles which are used to transform a person’s movements (kinetic energy) into electricity that can power all sorts of items, including a whole guitar - specially for Jason! 

Customized bikes for Jason Mraz by Biji-biji

He reportedly loved the bikes and was in awe with the concept of them! There were two bikes that Biji-biji provided which were used to power the mic that Jason used to sing his iconic hit “I’m Yours” AND the guitar he strummed on! Picture this: two bicycles intensely being cycled on while Jason puts on a fantastic powerhouse of a show with the energy of the cyclers and his own fabulous vocals! All this alongside a group of adorable Orang Asli children who were prepared to sing along, courtesy of SOLS 24/7. That was truly a performance to remember. 

Jason powering his own mic with the Biji-biji bicycles. Image Source: Warner Music Malaysia

In addition to the Energy Playground, Biji-biji also built special speaker cases from plywood just for Jason! 

The purpose of the energy playground is to get people thinking of energy usage as they put manual effort into powering simple tools through our playground which not only consists of energy-generating bikes, but also the hamster wheel and merry-go-round which both serve as energy generators. To quote one of our industrial designers, “We don’t expect to light up the Petronas Twin Towers, but just enough to spread awareness on literally how much energy goes into powering the things you see and places you go to daily.”

Definitely an experience like no other for us at Biji Biji, having gifted our very own products to such reputable artists and for Biji-biji Initiative to have set up such a cool and interactive showcase featuring two fabulous artists - Jason Mraz and Aizat Amdan!

Do contact Biji-biji Initiative at collaborate@biji-biji.com for further information on the energy playground and how you can rent it!

If you’re interested in the bags that Jason and Aizat own, and would like to check out what other cool sustainable products Biji Biji has to offer visit our website and contact us at fashion@biji-biji.com for collaboration!