There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
Techwear and The Intern For those following fashion communities, either through celebrity inspiration, magazine headlines, or forums like Reddit.com & Superfuture.com, it’s been hard to miss the rising trend that is Techwear. Established at the crossroads of technical outdoor apparel and streetwear fashion, Techwear centers itself around the pinnacle of style paired with function to meet whatever life has to throw in your path. A community that represents the best of both the outdoor and fashion worlds, with extremely educated consumers who understand high quality and what technical outerwear and accessories should be.
The Techwear Intern showed up online February 2018, an enthusiastic young designer working as an Intern at a Vancouver based fashion design firm, holding the lowest title in the industry in order to gain exposure to the process behind bringing fashion products to life. Today the Techwear Intern is acting as the poster child for the new generation of future focused style.
His 30-day DIY Techwear Design Challenge was posted to fashion and streetwear communities with incredible response, as users from around the world gathered to watch him complete a new project every day for a solid non-stop month. From concept to finished sample, in his under-equipped studio and in an impressively short amount of time. Hes been blowing the industry away with his bag and apparel concepts, quick develop timelines, and innovative patterning ever since.
After 30 days, The Intern went from unknown to hero in the techwear space, receiving countless job offers, opportunities for collaborations, and requests to buy his results. Committed to driving forward innovation in not only the design, but also the manufacture of products, he is already working on projects with some of the biggest brands in the industry to create products based on the idea of adding value though considered design.
Massdrop x Intern Collaboration During the 30-day challenge, Massdrop and the Intern connected and began to discuss the possibilities of working together to release some of the products the community was demanding most. Massdrop was drawn to the Intern based on his innovative, industry-driving concept of rapid prototyping and design, while the Intern was drawn to Massdrop as being the best possible platform that could get his products to market in the shortest amount of time without compromise. Now - by powers combined - they work to redefine what it means to drive innovation in a wide variety of product types through rapid prototyping, detailed knowledge of product development, and in-depth consumer interactions. Massdrop has been working with the Intern with on-site visits and extensive communication to set up a long-term plan for product launches within Massdrops' Accessories and Apparel communities, with crossover into Outdoor and Ultralight.
The first of many products we plan to launch with the Intern is an entire modular system of carry accessories built with a nowaste manufacturing methodology. All products work together to create a system of compatibility the Intern has called the Modular Adaptive Carry Standard, or MACS for short. A standard we hope to grow with ongoing community input to ensure the accessory pouches, everyday carry backpacks, duffels and more continue to evolve with endless backwards-compatible configuration possibilities.
Drop 1: Massdrop x Intern Series 1: Pockets & Packits The first drop will launch in June 2018 and will consist of Center-Zip Pockets and Carry Packits (massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-x-intern-series-1-pockets-packits) These are stand-alone products, which integrate fully with all MACS compatible products now and in the future (they also attach anywhere with 1in webbing connections, such as the MOLLE, PALS, and ARKIV and TECSYS systems too!). The MACS system will be featured in a number of future planned drops to allow for full user-customization.
The Intern's nowaste Pockets and Packits can be used to lug around everything and anything. From basic everyday carry, to pens and drawing supplies, cords and power bricks, tools, clothes, lunch... use 'em however you see fit. The super burly and water resistant build stands ready to haul whatever you can fit inside!
The Carry Packit comes in Four sizes:
Future drops with endless backwards compatibility! Nowaste laptop sleeves / tech pouches / slingpack / roll-top citypack / travel organizers... and a wild new technical approach to the timeless concept of the Dufflebag are all slated for summer/fall 2018! And if you have ideas for MACS compatible products with specific sizes or use cases that you would like to see added to the line-up, then we want hear from you so we can grow even more features with future drops!
You can expect more Massdrop x Intern drops outside of this modular system showing up in Accessories and Apparel in the not-too-distant future!
Thank you for supporting my first release :) This is my very first project of my own, however I stand backed with the support of not only Massdrop itself but also the mentors and industry partnerships established during my internship in Vancouver. The full support and knowledge of a team of industry veterans with great experience under their belts on how to manufacture high-quality goods and fulfill reliable pre-orders.
In short, The Techwear Intern has come a very long way since my internship and I've assembled a strong team and the guidance of people who know what they're doing, and you should be very confident that we will deliver what we say we will, when we say we will. And should unforeseen issues come up, I will handle them with the utmost transparency and care for you, the community who made all of this possible to begin with.
I'm incredibly proud of the supply chain I've established with Massdrop, and have a lot of confidence that we can make what we say we'll make, when we say we'll make it. But know what? Sometimes tragedies happen, ships sink, containers are lost, or unanticipated delays arise. We've padded our schedule for these kind of things, but sometimes it's not enough. Whatever happens, we'll be upfront and open about and we'll get through it together, I promise!