Great product design does not have to come from abroad.
Croatia has high potential in terms of design, especially the product design, and that has been further confirmed by the Baggizmo project. This is an internationally successful Croatian start-up which was presented a few days ago at the gallery of the Croatian Designers Society. The presentation was part of the “Baggizmo 2015 -/Making Of” exhibition.
The products in question are a bag for carrying gadgets and the Wiseward smart wallet. Given that they include wearable technology, Baggizmo products are located somewhere at the border between fashion and industrial design. The success of the project is confirmed by the fact that Baggizmo bags are sold in 89 countries and that, according to the research conducted in 2017, the vast majority of users are extremely satisfied with the product properties and almost 90% of users want to use future products of this brand.
Baggizmo has announced the development of two new products planned to be released in 2019, as well as the Baggizmo documentary film, which has been filmed for the past year.
“The idea of developing an innovative product which involves the organisation of local production, distribution and promotion efforts might seem a bit too ambitious and courageous for Croatia. In addition to universal challenges faced by any producer, which always accompany the launch a new production process, the Croatian context also poses other problems: lack of funding framework, selection of experienced subcontractors, lack of quality raw materials. There are few local examples of such products which fall within the demanding area of wearable technologies, and there are even fewer examples of such projects which focus precisely on the design process as the key value of the new product,” say Koraljka Vlajo and Marko Golub in the foreword to the exhibition.
The exhibition provides a detailed and didactic presentation of the Baggizmo’s product development, from the very first ideas, prototype design, entering into uncertain crowdfunding campaigns, product testing, mass production and distribution.
The authors of the exhibition, Izvorka Jurić and Kristina Volf, are part of the core team which created both of Baggizmo’s products.
On 19 June at 7 pm, there will be a discussion with the wider Baggizmo team, where attendees will be able to find out firsthand the details of their exciting business journey.
