New North carry on bag promotes minimalism
Courtesy of New North Co.
Cause you’re all I need · The founders named their product New North after finding inspiration from the USC residential college of the same name. With a commitment to high quality design and organization, the bag serves as a way for users to store everything they need in one duffel bag.
USC alum Chandler Ho’s new bag company is called New North. If that sounds familiar, it’s not a coincidence — the company’s collaborators first met in the dorm of the same name as students at USC. The company’s founding purpose is simple: Cho wanted to design bags that specifically protect people’s shoes while they are traveling. Perfect for anyone who cannot stand the idea of a scuff on their Air Jordans, New North currently offers a duffel and a tote for this purpose.
Unlike many conventional bags, New North bags contain two compartments so that shoes may be carried around without fear of being crowded by other items. In fact, the main purpose of New North bags is to ensure that anything being carried remains undamaged. The duffel’s pockets are lined with microfiber, and the bag has “metal feet” so as to avoid dirtying the duffel itself. Focused on organization and appearance, Ho’s company aims to maintain the quality of your possessions with a polished aesthetic.
The Daily Trojan recently caught up with Ho to discuss the creative process behind making and marketing the product.
Daily Trojan: What is your role in New North?
Chandler Ho: I am one of the founders of New North and the lead designer for our products. I lived in the New North dorms back in 2004. That’s where I met the other founders. We were all taking classes at Marshall, learning how the world of business operated. We had no idea that we’d ever team up for something like this.
DT: It looks like New North encompasses a variety of bags. Do they all share the purpose of transporting shoes? What inspired you to create bags for that purpose?
CH: The great thing about the design is that it’s open-ended. We want to give people the flexibility to use the duffle and tote bag according to their lifestyle. I initially wanted to make a bag that would protect my shoes/sneakers and keep them separated, but I took a step back and realized that every person would benefit from such a feature. Do you want to prevent your toiletries and hats from getting crushed? Are you coming back from the gym and want to keep your sweaty clothes and dirty shoes separated from your other things on the way home? Maybe you’re an organized person and don’t want to just cram things all together when you travel. The list goes on and on. In every circumstance, I see our bags offering a better experience with more options.
DT: Is Kickstarter where you garner the most monetary support for your brand? Has it worked successfully before?
CH: Up until this point, we put forth our own savings and time into creating New North and the bags we have to offer. We are relying on Kickstarter to provide us the funds to cover production and shipping. There are many successful projects that found their beginnings on Kickstarter. This is my first experience, and it has been really exciting to receive support and feedback from so many different people.
DT: Where can Kickstarter supporters expect their money to go and why should someone donate?
CH: We are so grateful for all of the Kickstarter supporters because it gives us the peace of mind to know that people appreciate what our bags have to offer. All of the support will go towards production and transportation costs, as well as enable us to create more products in the future. Kickstarter is great because everyone wins. We are able to gauge interest and generate funds before we go into full production, and Kickstarter supporters are able to get early access to products that have never been on the market and at a discounted price. So, I encourage everyone to take a look and support if interested.
DT: What do you see in the future of New North?
CH: We’re excited to see what the future holds. If this goes well, we have ideas of other unique products as well as variations of our bags that we want to produce. Our goal from the beginning is to create products that will enhance each person’s life. We try to live critical minded, evaluating our lives and all the things we use/interact with — thinking about ways for improvement. Out of that mindset comes inspiration for new designs and products. Hopefully this is just the beginning.
More information about New North can be found online. New North’s Kickstarter was fully funded in one night after it’s launch last Sunday and will continue to produce more lifestyle bags.