Ellen Lupton is a writer, curator, graphic designer, and personal hero of mine. I reference her book, Thinking With Type, on a regular basis; not to mention she championed the DIY movement… which is pretty cool.
Ellen is here for a total of three days, her goal is to design a messenger bag with a message. She wants to make a bag that invites and connects with the culture of customization in a unique and fresh way. It is going to be a true collaboration between Timbuk2, Ellen, and you, the consumer. The bags will be designed so that you can riff on them and make them personal to you, which is sweet because that’s basically what we’re all about.
Today she was introduced to the staff, took a tour of the factory downstairs, did some concepting with our designers and took a quick field trip to WhizBang Fabrics for some inspiration. When I talked to her at the end of the day what really resonated with her was how compelling it was to see the factory and meet the sewers who would be making her bag. She said that the construction of the bag needs to be part of the message. She wants to create a connection to the human element. Check back tomorrow to see what shape that message will take.
