StartUs Presents: Baggizmo

Who are you and what do you do?

We are Baggizmo. The project was initiated and is led by me, Ladislav Juric (IT manager and also Founder Institute graduate). Together with my wife – Izvorka Juric, an established designer with 15 years expertise in branding, we’ve decided it’s time to set our own course and use the knowledge we provided for our clients – instigating our own design-start-up.

How did you come up with the idea for your startup?

I’m a myself a gadget freak and never leave my home without a couple… erm.. all of them. So, I needed a bag that I could fit them all into and keep them safe and organized. Not a regular backpack or a girly bag. I couldn’t find one so I decided to start this adventure and help create one that would take care of all my needs, be comfortable and cool looking. I was pretty lucky because I found great design partner in my wife, an internationally awarded graphic designer, who envisioned a design strategy for the project, developing the brand visuals herself.

What is the vision behind Baggizmo?

When we’ve started the project a year ago, our main focus was creating a bag to carry a mini tablet, smartphone and other small objects like keys, wallet etc. – positioned under a man’s arm. Our vision was to develop an advanced and more functional way of carrying things which also had to stand out as aesthetically pleasing. We’ve entered the niche of the everyday carry bags for men which are often bulky, thereby not functional to wear in various daily professional or private situations. With Baggizmo we set out to design a new habit by designing the ways of wearing it over a T-shirt, shirt, then under or over a jacket or a business suit. The point of Baggizmo is that you don’t have to take it off while you are driving a car, riding a bike or having a short meeting over an espresso. As an outcome we have a bag that stays slim even when its compartments are full of gadgets. It’s made of a quality and water repellent textile, and is completely handmade in Europe.

How did you go though the design process?

The design of the product has been realized by Manufakturist, a Croatian design collective, for whom one of the main tasks was to solve functionality. We had to organize the space in Baggizmo rationally. We ended up with a bag in which the direction and the size of the compartments depend on the size of its corresponding device – which are: a tablet, two smartphones, keys, wallet, power stick, pencil and a pad of paper. We have lined all the compartments with innovative materials that provide special protection against mechanical or heat damage. We have also taken into consideration the position of the bag under the arm and occasional sweating, thus impregnating all the compartments so it doesn’t influence the wearer’s clothes. I also asked them to try solving tangled cables and charging. In between the compartments we’ve placed hidden passages which allow you to charge your tablet with a power stick or connect your phone with headphones and still look cool. So, if you can’t go wireless, go trouble free!

Why should a customer choose your product over your competition’s? 

We tested various body positions in which the bag has to function in a way that the gadgets are easy accessible and that the bag doesn’t move around the body in uncontrolled directions. Also we were careful to arrange objects according to weight, so that one part of the bag would not outweigh another and optimized the width of the straps with respect to the width of the average man’s shoulders, and paid special attention to the thickness of the straps in order to achieve greater comfort. In doing so, we took into consideration the natural angle of entry of a hand reaching inside for objects. Comfort and carrying convenience have also been determined by the choice of the material that clings to the body, but still allows the circulation of air between the bag and the body. Overall it’s probably one of the most comfortable bag for your everyday gadgets.

What are your next steps?

Future product development involves additional functionalities and materials for the basic model of Baggizmo, while other models will be specially designed for schoolchildren, women and blind people. To realize these functionalities we have a Kickstarter campaign running, which we hope will help us achieve our goals.

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