KEEN Harvest Collection III
I still remember when I was testing the first Harvest collection from KEEN. The idea was pretty novel at the time – upcycling material destined for the landfills. In those days it was used tires and rice sacks. This time, they are focusing on pre-consumer automobile airbags to make their totes. I will also say that they have come leaps and bounds from the first Harvest collection. In general, I really feel like KEEN is a company to watch. Sometimes when they try new things (remember they started out making sandals for river guides) they miss their mark, barely. However, give them a few iterations and they really nail it. The KEEN Harvest collection includes a backpack, messenger bag, tote and bi-fold wallet. The wallet is nothing to get too excited over but the others look killer. The backpack has a really simple design and it holds 23L which is more than enough for a book or day pack.
Activyst
The second idea is an interesting concept out of Los Angeles called Activyst. The name, derived from “active” and “catalyst” says a lot about their mission; they aim to improve the lives of young girls by selling bags which provide funding for sports organizations. They currently have three bags available which are targeted towards active women. They are all made of macen which is a woven plastic fabric from Nicaragua. The three styles are the Active Bag, The Out and About Tote, and The Freshen Up Cosmetic Bag. The bags are available for pre-order via their Indiegogo campaign which has already surpassed their $25k goal with 33 days left! This milestone allowed them to fund their first project, partnering with Soccer Without Borders in Nicaragua. Companies with a charitable vibe are not new (TOMS shoes, Warby Parker eyewear) so it will be exciting to see how well Activyst fares. I certainly like the idea and I do subscribe to the fact that active girls turn into successful women so this is something I am keeping an eye on.
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