A houseless man went from being “unnoticed” to an overnight phenomenon after he began designing and selling cotton bags in Birmingham.
Kevin World has managed to sell more than 200 of his hand-drawn bags in the city, with his sudden success taking him somewhat by surprise.
Mr. World said his life is transformed after his bags – for which he only asks a “donation from the heart” – became an unexpected hit.
Each bag is uniquely designed, featuring puns. There is no fixed fee charged for the artwork but Kevin says on average people pay about £3 for a bag. Life on the streets has not been easy for him, as he suffers from depression and anxiety.
But since starting to draw less than a year ago, it has helped him cope. He decided to combine the need to save on plastic bags and help the environment with his artistic skills.
“It passes the time away because a lot of people walk past and you do feel pretty invisible.”
His bag selling business is called The Bag Issue, a pun on The Big Issue magazine which is also sold by street vendors.
