Cyclops Penguin Backpack
Design Brief
The challenge: Create a character backpack that will:
1. Stay clean in a dusty desert environment. Dust easily gets stuck in faux fur or the weave of traditional woven fabrics, and you want to keep your colors bright and shiny when you are out and about. Sure you can throw it in the wash once you get home but somehow that Playa dust always seems to permanently muddy everything and the harsh sun can fade colors away!
2. Be large enough to carry essentials. Many character bags are overstuffed with fiber fill to keep their form. They look cute, but they are never big enough to carry your stuff because they are too stuffed with their stuff!
The solution:
1. Use marine grade vegan leather. This material is great solution as it easily wipes clean, retaining its sparkle and color no matter how much dust, dirt, or drink spills on it.
2. Make the body compartment large enough and don’t overstuff it. Save the fiber fill for character features like the nose, wings and feet.
The Backpack
| Cyclops Penguin backpack made of sturdy sparkle vegan leather. Created with the dusty environment of Burning Man in mind. |
It easily wipes down so it doesn’t get destroyed in the dust! Features adjustable straps, one main large compartment with a hidden inner nose stash and another small pocket in the flaming eye on the belly.
The character design was based on my series of one eyed penguin soft sculptures, pictured here as a bride and groom version.
Cyclops Penguin Backpack by K.S. Lewis Great for carrying everything that fits into a one eyed penguin. Well, technically it’s a two eyed penguin, because of the extra eye in its fire belly.