Having a clear brief from Tom and Nike was the first critical step: Design a waist pack that can convert into a tote that can live alongside the footwear and apparel in the collection. Compared to a typical timeline of 12-18 months, the 90 days we had was steep challenge. The bags needed to be designed, sourced, developed and made in 3 months. We focused on the artists history and involvement with space as the basis for material and design decisions. We gathered imagery and searched for all the technical materials that evoked space to kick off the project.

The bag needed to delicately balance both Sachs’ art and Nike’s hyper-designed products, so we were in constant contact with Sachs and Nike to ensure that their feedback and ideas were heard and integrated. What we lacked in time we were able to bridge with a clear vision, organization and experience.

Where We Landed

We designed a 3-in-1 bespoke bag that could go from waist-pack to tote to backpack in a few clicks. We designed and handcrafted 25 bags out of advanced materials like Dyneema (5 times stronger than steel in tensile strength) and custom hardware. We worked with advanced material suppliers in unrelated industries from mountain climbing to sailing. We combined materials, techniques and hardware that had never been put together before. The resulting bag is fully convertible and can be worn as a waist pack, backpack or tote bag and because of its makeup, it is strong and durable, yet super lightweight. All in 90 days.

The team at Nike fell in love with the bag and the plan is to make it available in the next Nikecraft collection.