The Boatpack

Category: Accessories

Northampton is known for its shoe-making heritage. This gave me the possibility to visit one of the local shoe factories, Tricker's. During the visit, I noticed some very interesting leather shoe offcuts. For the factory, these offcuts were a problem, namely 12 tonnes of leather waste per year. To me, the offcuts were unique leather pieces that needed to be altered and then innovated into wearables. While sampling and testing, I noticed that the shoe offcuts resembled the internal structure of a Viking longboat. Drawing inspiration from my love for backpacks and the historical influence of Viking craftsmanship, I came up with the Boatpack. I also used deadstock zipstoppers, to introduce some metallic elements present on the boats. This fusion of ideas resulted in a one-of-a-kind backpack design that seamlessly merges the legacy of Northampton's shoemaking heritage with the Viking Longboats. Materials: beige leather shoe offcuts, metal zipstoppers, padding for the back of the backpack and deadstock leather.