A Backpack Pop-Up Draws Adults Looking for Fashionable Collectibles
Sprayground’s colorful, limited-edition bags have become a back-to-school status symbol, and not just for sixth-graders.
The New York pop-up will remain open in the middle of Times Square until Sept. 5.
Just hours before 18-year-old Jordy Morales was planning to leave for training to become a Marine, he’s at Sprayground’s pop-up shop in New York’s Times Square to pick up a limited-edition backpack.
Morales has put money from babysitting or handyman jobs toward a new backpack whenever he can. “I’d save up and try to get it as quickly as possible,” he says. Today, he’s holding a $120 backpack featuring a stitched collage of the brand’s top-selling designs. It’s on display as the final 10 of a 100-bag run.
On Aug. 14, cult backpack maker Sprayground opened its biggest pop-up shop ever in New York City. It features over 100 designs in its back-to-school collection, as well as more exclusive options featuring characters such as SpongeBob, Samurai Jack, and the Powerpuff Girls. The most recognizable ones have a shark mouth and eyes along the back and side, while some are shaped like teddy bears.
He’d traveled from Philadelphia with some friends, including Myaia Fletcher, who has collected more than 100 Sprayground bags and estimates that she has spent more than $10,000 on them. Fletcher is now the brand’s official ambassador.
“I want kids going back to school—and the grown-up traveling—to feel unique,” Ben-David says. “Everybody wants to feel that individuality, because they don’t want a bag that everybody else has. Everything we make is limited edition and never produced again. So I think that also is kind of our secret sauce.”
The New York pop-up will be open until Sept. 5, followed by a runway show on on Sept. 8 during New York Fashion Week. The next pop-up shop is scheduled to open in Miami in December.
Best backpacks on earth. Also for anyone that wonders if they have space yes they DO! and they have a lot if it. I think the cheapest sprayground backpack is at least 70.00$ plus taxes. Also another thing you have to keep your sprayground clean on the outside and inside because they are they are backpacks that if you just leave them somewhere and dont tuch them they will wear down and will be useless. Spraygrounds are also very nice clean silky and comfy backpacks to where to school or to a nice party. Are just to keep your stuff in there while you walk to places or if you spending a night at someone’s house… But don’t where them when hiking or in an enclosed space space because hiking if its windy or there are a lot of rocks you backpack will either get ripped or have an hole in it and i know nobody wants that. And if your in an enclosed area with people or walls dont wear it because the problem with the walls is that it will scrap your backpack and will leave white marks almost like a cat was stretching over your backpack with its claws out, but with the people is honsetly your choice because you might have something expensive or payed a lot of money for your sprayground and some people might try to sill yank and grab your backpack, or some people could have food or something that can stain or is messy in there hands or on there hands and they could get it on your backpack. But other then that thanks for reading this. -Malik J Robinson (sprayground have a secret pocket but find it yourself and goodluck you will also get a card saying your found the secret pocket or something like that)