Secret to #MontyThePenguin's happiness from John Lewis Ad. all year round
Monty the penguin finds Christmas cheer in another penguin; but what about the rest of us?
John Lewis releases its annual tearjerker, causing all single people, and possibly penguins, to feel hopeless and alone. To cheer us up, RiutBag creator Sarah Giblin offers the 96% of us who commute alone a message of strength and independence to those dealing with a daily commute: "We can strive for greater quality of life on our daily commutes. It's the mundane objects we use every day that hold the key to this quality of life in reality, and less so another penguin.”
An acronym for Revolution In User Thinking, the RiutBag is a unisex rucksack, created to secure commuters' and city travellers’ belongings in a sleek and aerodynamic way. If Monty had a daily commute to contend with, he might find happiness in worrying less about crime, even if it doesn't work out with his new penguin companion.
With record numbers of commuters exceeding 76.1 million in September and many of them carrying data-rich tech, the black and white commuters in their suits have no such security. The RiutBag has a solution: this streamlined rucksack has no outer zips; cleverly tucking them away to protect wearers from the less-than-crime-free UK streets.
Designer, Sarah Giblin explained “I noticed in the commuter crush one day that there’s a problem with the conventional rucksack: the person behind you can access your belongings better than you. That’s an unnerving design problem in our densely populated cities."
Whereas the Monty the Penguin campaign implores the nation to give someone the Christmas they deserve; many commuters would prefer to be in the kind of crime free zone of TV land commercials. Feeling safe and independent is a far cry from ‘real love’, but Riut offers freedom, independence and safety in an increasingly densely populated society.
Indubitably, RiutBag looks the part. With its smart and simple look for work, the design is casual enough for a city break. Intentionally minimalistic in design and branding, it allows the wearer to own a unique item without standing out. Having the capacity for a 15” laptop, one of its best features are the discreet ticket holders in each strap and bottle holders within the profile of the bag. It has a fully waterproof base and outer shell, made from Kevlar and foam-lined Cordura.
The sleek profile enables all commuters to give the gift of space and respect year round, whilst carrying everything they need to. As the gift season approaches and those in commuter capitals seek to upgrade their tech and appliances, the RiutBag reminds us that our non-tech needs an upgrade too to keep up with our urban lives; promising year round security for all those valuables and more importantly those carrying them.
At a glance details:
Live Kickstarter page link: http://kck.st/1tvaf06
Funding goal surpassed: £29,700
Current (at time of writing): £45,592
Designer: Sarah Giblin
Product: Smart, safe rucksack for commuters
Cost: From £45 including UK P&P
Campaign ends: 26 November 2014
Editor's Note: Issued by Brand Refinery (www.brandrefinery.co.uk) . For more information please contact Samantha Marie-Cadman, E-mail: Samantha@brandrefinery.co.uk or phone 01886 833446.
About Riut: Based in commuter hub Reading, Riut stands for Revolution in user thinking. 1000 commuters answered Riut's rucksack surveys earlier this year which helped inform the design and style of RiutBag.
