In April, British Nigerian illustrator Dapo Adeola was revealed as 2021’s designer of the Books Are My Bag Limited-Edition Bag. The bag can be purchased exclusively in bookshops in the UK and Ireland from Bookshop Day, on October 9th.
“I was super stoked to be asked to illustrate this years ‘Books Are My Bag’ tote,” Adeola says. “Supporting bookshops is and has always been a huge part of my journey in this industry, so saying yes to this opportunity was a no-brainer. Now more than ever, bookshops need our help to stay afloat. We’re gonna need the type of magic only they can provide when things go back to normal, so anything we can do to help them in the meantime should be done. Let’s keep these wonderful hubs for magic and community alive.”
The London born and raised illustrator is most known for his bestselling picture book Look Up! The book won the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize and was crowned the #1 Debut Picture Book of 2019. Adeola aims to create characters who challenge expectations of race and gender. He also organises design workshops with children, and events that highlight the opportunities that underrepresented members of the Black diaspora have in illustration.
In 2019, Adeola popularised Twitter hashtag #BlackBritishIllustrators. The hashtag gave Black British creatives a platform to gain exposure and be uplifted. In November 2020, he wrote an open letter that asked the media to credit illustrators. Other British creatives such as Malorie Blackman, Patrice Lawrence and Chris Mould signed it.
Bookshop Day 2021 will not only feature Adeola’s Limited-Edition bag, but also booksellers and more who encourage consumers to support their local bookshop. Waterstones, Foyles and WHSmith are some of the retailers who will be participating in the campaign that launched in 2016.
“We are so excited to have teamed up with Dapo Adeola for this year’s Limited-Edition Bag,” says Emma Bradshaw, Head of Campaigns at the BA. “We are huge fans of his work, and the bag’s vibrant, fresh design is absolutely stunning – I can already picture those bright colours bringing some good cheer to all book-lovers on Bookshop Day!”
For more information on Bookshop Day, look here.
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