Popular website The Business of Fashion (BoF) has joined hands with UK-based leather goods craftsman Bill Amberg to create the Calgary Bag and launch an experimental business model called crowdsourcing. Imran Amed, the behind BoF, co-designed the bag in association with Bill Amberg.
The Calgary Bag is essentially a unisex tote bag that is stylish and functional. Targeting people who are always on the go, the Calgary Bag promises to be a hold-all option not just for necessaries, but also for books, gym gear and gadgets. You need not worry about getting scratches on your precious Blackberry – for the bag has neoprene padding to protect your gadgets and gizmos.
The concept of crowdsourcing involves getting feedback from customers over the Internet, allowing them to dictate style, colour, fabrics and so on. However, it is not as though the consumer turns designer. What it does is get inputs on an item that is available in a number of different options. This would help in zeroing in on the popular items and reducing production on the unpopular ones.
The bag has been named after the Canadian town of Calgary because that is where Amed was born. Amed explained that Calgary is no longer the red cow town of yore. Over the years, it has changed considerably and gained in sophistication.
Limited Edition Calgary Bags can be purchased from the Bill Amberg website. Currently there are six varieties of the bag – Red Patent, Orange Patent, Black Ponyskin, Purple Mock Croc, Tan Woven and Tan Nubuck. Only five units of each piece will be produced and will be sold at £950.
Via: Canada.com
