There were chocolate brownies and bubbly in the U.S. Crumpler office this week as the bag company celebrated one year of U.S. operations. At the same time the Crumpler team down under were toasting the companys ten year anniversary in Australia.
Crumpler was founded in Melbourne by three bicycle messengers looking for durable and affordable bags to withstand the elements. The name of one of these fellows, Stuart Crumpler, seemed to suit the bags well, so the company adopted his name. Over the years the distinctive Crumpler logo has come to adorn photo and laptop bags, backpacks and pouches for all manner of e-vices.
Originally a nightclub with no windows, the Crumpler office in Brooklyn has blossomed into a light-filled hive of activity. The office is now fully staffed with customer service, accounts, warehousing, wholesale service, marketing and official team mascot, Elvis the dog.
El Presidente Lindsay Cousley remarked “We have come here to do what we have set out to achieve, we systematically aimed for our goal of strategic penetration, which we have targeted and conquered and will continue to conquer forthwith”. (He didnt actually say that, marketing just made that gobbledegook up ).
In their first year the Crumpler crew have rocked the Interbike, PMA, Outdoor Retailer and Macworld tradeshows, creating a stir with a giant inflatable Crumpler bag as a trade stand, aussie two-up (a rather rowdy coin-toss game of chance), Fosters beer and Vegemite. These reconnaissance missions have led to the establishment of one hundred and fifty specialty retailers across the country.
The companys aussie sense of humour will be in evidence this June as the company holds its first annual beer for bags in its stores in Soho and the West Village in New York.
