See subject. The dedicated camera market appears to be contracting from the rise of cell phone photography + social media. Yet startups / kickstarters / indiegogo campaigns for camera bags are happening left and right. If people are less and less opting for dedicated cameras, why do they need so many new camera bags?
There seems to be two classes of bags that are exploding right now: Bougie Disasters and Gadgety Bags of Holding.
BDs are bags that scream a lot of things I can't get personally behind: Looks over functionality, I enjoy putting an outfit together, 'If you think this bag is sharp, if you could only see my gallery exhibition' 'I am carrying something expensive in here', privilege, pretentia, etc.
https://www.onabags.com/
https://www.langly.co/collections/camera-bags
http://www.ablearcher.co/store/
http://holdfastgear.com/collections
GBHs are hyper-engineered products like we might think of Patagonia hiking/climbing gear -- exclusive materials, ultralight while ultrastrong, built for the elements, sweat, extended time outdoors, etc. and often subscribe to a dorky German cement salesman design aesthetic -- simple, clean lines, futuristic, and tech-y.
https://www.wandrd.com/
https://www.peakdesign.com/compare?t=bags'
Whatever Apple-like bags GuraGear was making before they bought Tamrac.
(plus five more kickstarters since yesterday)
Can someone help me understand this? Is this just a migration from the major bag carriers' ambivalence to sexy (i.e. "Yes, we have four sizes of the Lens Duffel 6000 to choose from") to a more stylized/unique/on-target product?
Is this more about camera bags going upmarket to chase the remaining diehard photographers who (we presume) have much nicer gear and therefore more money to spend on bags?)
Or is this more about small business owners seizing an opportunity as larger bag makers are dying off?
Help me understand this, team.
- A
There seems to be two classes of bags that are exploding right now: Bougie Disasters and Gadgety Bags of Holding.
BDs are bags that scream a lot of things I can't get personally behind: Looks over functionality, I enjoy putting an outfit together, 'If you think this bag is sharp, if you could only see my gallery exhibition' 'I am carrying something expensive in here', privilege, pretentia, etc.
https://www.onabags.com/
https://www.langly.co/collections/camera-bags
http://www.ablearcher.co/store/
http://holdfastgear.com/collections
GBHs are hyper-engineered products like we might think of Patagonia hiking/climbing gear -- exclusive materials, ultralight while ultrastrong, built for the elements, sweat, extended time outdoors, etc. and often subscribe to a dorky German cement salesman design aesthetic -- simple, clean lines, futuristic, and tech-y.
https://www.wandrd.com/
https://www.peakdesign.com/compare?t=bags'
Whatever Apple-like bags GuraGear was making before they bought Tamrac.
(plus five more kickstarters since yesterday)
Can someone help me understand this? Is this just a migration from the major bag carriers' ambivalence to sexy (i.e. "Yes, we have four sizes of the Lens Duffel 6000 to choose from") to a more stylized/unique/on-target product?
Is this more about camera bags going upmarket to chase the remaining diehard photographers who (we presume) have much nicer gear and therefore more money to spend on bags?)
Or is this more about small business owners seizing an opportunity as larger bag makers are dying off?
Help me understand this, team.
- A