Crumpler

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Please improve this article if you can. (October 2006)
Crumpler
Type Bag Company
Founded 1995 [1]
Founder Stuart Crumpler, Dave Roper and Will Miller / Partner = Stuart Crumpler, Dave Roper, Will Miller, Siegfried Elgert and Joerg Bodenschatz
Headquarters Melbourne ( Australia ), Cologne (Germany)
Area served Flag of Australia - Flag of Germany - Flag of Canada - Flag of the United States - Flag of Singapore - Flag of New Zealand - Flag of the United Kingdom - Flag of Sweden -Flag of Denmark - Flag of the Netherlands - Flag of Italy - Flag of France - Flag of Switzerland - Flag of the People's Republic of China - Flag of India - Flag of Japan - Flag of Malaysia - Flag of Thailand - Flag of South Korea
Key people Stuart Crumpler, Dave Roper, Will Miller, Siegfried Elgert, Joerg Bodenschatz
Products Messenger bags, bags for photographers, laptop bags, bike bags, purses
Website http://www.crumpler.com.au, http://www.crumpler.eu

Crumpler is a bag company. Its Pacific headquarters are based in Melbourne, Australia, while its European headquarters are based in Cologne, Germany. It began as a messenger bag company, but has since expanded its range, notably into laptop bags and camera bags. All Crumpler products are produced in Asia.

Larrikinism, iconoclasm and informality sum up Crumpler marketing. In Canada and the US, they held "beer for bags" promotion in June 2006 and June 2007 where they accepted beer as payment for their product, and from their early days they have had a novel approach to advertising. Most of their product line are given wacky names, like "School Hymn", "Wonder Weenie", "Cheesy Disco" or "Marry Ugly".

Contents

[edit] History

Crumpler was founded in Melbourne in 1995 by Dave Roper and Will Miller (ex bike couriers and founders of Minuteman Messengers), and sculptor/furniture maker/bike courier Stuart Crumpler. 2000 Joerg Bodenschatz and Siegfried Elgert joint in as equal partner. Stuart designed the logo in 1991 which he branded onto his furniture designs. [2]

From the beginning the bags were designed for bike messengers, in particular those working for Roper and Miller's bike courier company, Minuteman. As the bags seen around the city were durable and colourful, there was soon commercial demand and the range grew to include more options in colours and sizes. Due to this commercial and more professional demand the Australians were looking for business-partners which they found in Siegfried Elgert and Jörg Bodenschatz. Today, Crumpler is equally owned by all of them but practically divided into two autonomous working parts. One providing the European, African, South, Central American and Mexican market, the other one delivering bags to the USA, Canada, Asia and Australia.

The company then started producing colourful laptop computer and camera bags. The colourful bags were both unique and highly influential in times when the dull black technical style bags prevailed.

The appeal of the bright colours of the bag prompted the company to offer, and recently reintroduce, an artisan based customization service.

Like many businesses, Crumpler aims to be innovative. It pioneered what is now referred to as 'viral marketing', initially spray painting its memorable logo on bicycle paths in the city, has made its 'Beer for Bags' weeks a regular event.

[edit] Internationalisation

Distribution rights for South East Asia (Singapore and Malaysia) are licensed to Eric Lim of Singapore in 2000-1. The first store retailing Crumpler merchandise opened at Wheelock Place, Orchard Road. A second store opened at Paragon, Orchard Road and a third Singapore store is now operating from Raffles City Shopping Centre. Distribution and retailing of Crumpler bags in Kuala Lumpur through a store located at Suria KLCC.

[edit] Logo

Image:CrumpLogo Black.jpg
Crumpler logo by Stuart Crumpler, which is embedded into all Crumpler products in either thread or rubber form

The Crumpler logo is a stick figure, which was originally used by Stuart Crumpler on the furniture he designed before the company was founded.

[edit] Bags

Crumpler has different types of bags:

  • Backpacks: Camera, laptop or messenger types
  • Mesenger bags: 1 main strap only
  • Laptop bags: 1 main strap or none for the School Hymn
  • Camera bags: 1 main strap
  • Handbags (The Headitch): Small, medium & large sizes with a zipper
  • Special/Limited edition: They are the same bags but with special finishing/pattern on the flap and lining and are limited till the next shipment arrives for some countries
  • Accessories for bags: There are strap-mountable accessories for carrying cameras or handphones, shoulder pad, NEW Free Holy Bean Bags

Crumpler bags are made of a water resistant shell, Ripstop nylon/lining, Adjustable main strap w/ Quick Flick (TM) buckle and strap-trap accessory loop (some bags only), Removable shoulder pad (come with some bags, purchasable from crumpler sotres), "Third Leg" stability strap (some bags only), velcro release flap, clip release flap, or both for some bags.

Image:Crumplerlogorubbersewn.jpg
The rubber/plastic Crumpler logo sewn onto an bag

Crumpler bags and accessories also comes with a grey and black label with the Crumpler wording and name of bag/accessory (Possibly for detering fakes), logo on the Quick Flick buckle, logo sewn on with thread or rubber/plastic logo.

[edit] Accessories

Image:The chumpy black.jpg
The Chumpy wallet

Crumpler has accessories like the Crumpler pendant, wallet (The Chumpy), phone pouches, bucket add-ons for bags with main straps, lanyard, bunion for inserting into the bag and NEW Free Holy Bean Bags.

[edit] Custom Bags

Customs bags are made and sold in the USA at the Crumpler Custom Bags store in New York (USA) and Melbourne (Australia). You can select which type of bag (eg. The Hoax) and have your custom design on it.

[edit] Copies

Other bag companies have started to copy Crumpler bags most notably Bag-Man which copied the Crumpler bag designs, sewing and material used, different colours and adding their own plastic logo to the bag and to the Quick Flip buckle. Other companies have also added the Quick Flick buckle to their messenger bags. The Quick Flip buckle is a cam-buckle, many messenger bag companies most notably Timbuk2 have used this buckle style for many years pre-dating Crumplers use of a cam buckle.

[edit] Web Site Issues

Crumpler web sites can be cryptic and difficult to navigate; disabled users may find them almost impossible to use. Vincent Flanders' Web Pages that Suck listed it as the second-worst web site of 2006 [3]

[edit] References

  1. ^ 2001/127/2 Messenger bag, 'Seedy Three', Dupont Cordura Plus nylon/ plastic, designed and made by Crumpler, Australia, 1995 - Design Hub
  2. ^ 2001/127/1 Messenger bag, canvas/ nylon/ plastic, designed and made by Stuart Crumpler, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1993 - Powerhouse Museum Collection
  3. ^ Web Pages That Suck learn usability and good web design by looking at bad web design - 10 worst web sites to navigate

[edit] External links

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