Your mom’s fridge

‘I definitely need a nicer backpack’, I am telling myself while I am trying to squeeze a pack of green apples, avocado and jaffa cakes between my notebook, scetchbook and computer glasses. As I walk out from Lidl I start thinking about my personal experience with clothes and how I feel about wearing different pieces. Despite having many clothes, I always choose the same ones when I want to feel comfortable (most of the time), whereas the really pretty but awkward to put on clothes are ditched somewhere on the bottom of my wardrobe and definitely need ironing.

‘I don’t want the clothes I design to be on the bottom of someone’s shelve, pressed between their ex’s T-shirt and the jumper from their grandma’, I thought. After all I am supposed to give people something they love, something they have memories with, something that would help them feel inspired, excited, unique.

For me, designing a backpack is an obvious choice, as you could actually never feel free or comfortable if your hands are busy carrying a water bottle, a phone, your lunch, toothbrush probably… ? It is an item that not only gives people freedom but actually helps them focus on the beauty of the world around them, literally helps them forget about the weight on their shoulders. Having this in mind, I decided to create a backpack you could carry around at all times, one that would be on all the photos on your mom’s fridge – your family holiday in Italy, your high school graduation, you walking the dog, you on the best night out (that one probably not on your mom’s fridge).

After bumping into an old lady because I had been so deeply in my own head, I decided to switch my thoughts to the next product. ‘I love my jacket!’, I thought looking at my beautiful yellow leather jacket. But not really [‘Heartbeat’, 4:24, Childish Gambino voice]. As with my own clothes, creating something unpractical, even if beautiful, is a waste of time. The jacket, however, is something really specific and really important, as it is always with you. For me, personally, it is something I relate to ‘outdoors’, ‘fun’, ‘memories’, actually something I also remember people for. ‘The tall guy with the green jacket, the girl who’s always wearing a fluffy coat…’

Well I am now going to put on my yellow jacket and go start designing.

Image sources: files.list, southbankcentre