SprayGround Aims To Make Over Your Travel Look
Travel, but make it SprayGround.
For nearly a decade, New York City-based accessories brand SprayGround has made intensely patterned backpacks and duffel bags that are hard to miss on streets of major cities all over the world. Patterns vary from sports themes to original illustrations to cheeky photos of wads of cash, but fans recognize the brand from its small red logo on the lower right side.
“The reason I started [with] backpacks, is that there was a void in the market,” SprayGround founder and creative director David Ben David says. “Bags were used for utilitarian purposes. What if I put my art on accessories, on bags, on duffels?”
SprayGround tested the luggage market in 2017 with a capsule collection that sold out within three days. One of the inaugural pieces featured a blown up photo of dollars against a black background. “When I walked just to get the [rental car], everyone was like, ‘Dang! Take it easy! Where did you get that?’ David jokes.
The inaugural SprayGround luggage collection, which launched in 2017 and sold out in three days.
But the work wasn’t done yet. The first luggage collection underwent more testing (such as David loading up the pieces and then tossing them down five flights to see where cracks emerged), as well as sourcing for new materials and innovative design tweaks.
“I was trying to figure out a way to make many designs, so I created clear luggage with fabric liners,” David says. “It will come with a few designs so your luggage can change.”
“I’m going to put in an inner compartment,” David says, gesturing to an inside pocket of a sample in his midtown showroom. “In every pocket, there’s this money print. If the TSA has to check the bag, when they open it, it’s like all this money.”
“After they see it a few times, they’ll be like, What the heck is this brand?,” he laughs.
The inaugural SprayGround luggage collection, which launched in 2017 and sold out in three days.
SprayGround’s brand-new capsule collection featuring interchangeable patterns is set to launch in early 2020. (Fans got an early look at what to expect this past October, when one limited-edition carry-on, part of a collaboration with designer Laquan Smith, went on sale for $250.)
The four-piece collection (two carry-on, two check-ins) feature clear hardshell pieces with removable fabric liners, so that you can update, or mix-and-match, different looks for your luggage set. The travel sets are part of the ‘Fight Club’-inspired collection, which also marks the brand’s first foray into apparel. (In theory, you can now arrive at JFK in head-to-toe SprayGround, with a fully matching luggage set in tow.)
A look from the 2020 'Fight Club' SprayGround collection, which debuts apparel as well as travel OMAR ROBLES
Following the launch of the ‘Fight Club’ collection, David aims to slowly build up the luggage offerings. “More young people are traveling now,” the designer says. “The youth movement wants to see the world. ‘How can I get there? When I go, I’m going to pull up in style.’”
“People want a reflection of their personality through everything they wear or touch of hold,” the designer adds. “That’s why I create so many different products.”
SprayGround founder David Ben David at the SprayGround fashion week show, held in Sept. OMAR ROBLES
Ramirez, Elva. “SprayGround Aims To Make Over Your Travel Look.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 2 Dec. 2019, www.forbes.com/sites/elvaramirez/2019/12/02/sprayground-aims-to-make-over-your-travel-look/#51f6bbd54c77.
