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- Backpacks usually tend towards pure style or pure practicality. The perfect one balances both.
- We found seven online startups making stylish backpacks that can also keep up with your busy daily lives and travels.
- From under-$100 styles to over-$700 splurges, these backpacks will remind you of the excitement of back-to-school shopping, but with a new, sophisticated twist.
Backpacks have been an extension of our styles and personalities since our grade school days. Shopping for a new backpack before the start of school was one of the highlights of the summer, and if your friend got lost in the sea of students as the bell rang, it was easy to relocate them based on their patterned Jansport or Eastpak (and the bundle of keychains clinging onto the zippers).
We haven’t outgrown the practicality of the humble backpack, but we have since developed a taste for elevated style. Several online startups are making cool, stylish backpacks that won’t be mistaken for the ones your 10-year-old niece is wearing.
These backpacks are unmistakably made for adults, people who need to comfortably and efficiently carry the essentials of their busy lives with them but would also appreciate if the bag matched their stylish outfit.
They’re made from premium materials like leather (both real and vegan), neoprene, and canvas, and they’re thoughtfully designed to consider the needs of the modern commuter and traveler. As such, they tend to cost around $100 or more. Unlike your grade school backpacks, however, you won’t be throwing these out every year, and you won’t want to.
Shop stylish backpacks from seven cool online startups below, and don’t forget to check out our guide to the best backpacks you can buy:
STATE Bags
STATE Bags/Facebook
Shop backpacks at STATE Bags here
This bag company founded in 2013 doesn’t just make cool backpacks for the sake of doing so. With each purchase, it donates a backpack filled with school supplies to a student in need. The founders created the brand after seeing kids carrying their school things in ripped trash bags to their prior venture, a non-profit summer camp. Now, they help you carry your essentials in sleek leather, canvas, and nylon styles while supporting underprivileged kids and raising conversations around social issues.
What to buy:
- Nevins in Wool Panel Olive, $95
- Spencer in Cotton Canvas Navy, $100.75
- Kane in Smooth Black Leather, $224.25
- Wythe in Professional Black, $235
Learn more about STATE Bags:
- You can’t walk around New York City without seeing these backpacks — which is why most people won’t believe they start at $40
- 29 companies to shop from that give back all year long — not just around the holidays
Dagne Dover
Dagne Dover/Instagram
Shop backpacks at Dagne Dover here
Whenever we see a dark or dusty neoprene backpack out in public, we place a big bet that it’s from Dagne Dover. These backpacks have become a favorite among urbanites who need a comfortable and well-organized bag they can carry from night to day. Since they’re made from 100% premium neoprene, they’re insulating and shock-absorbent, so you know your stuff will always be protected. If you’re adventurous, choose the bright Sienna and Liberty colors, or the cute Camo prints.
What to buy:
Learn more about Dagne Dover:
- Finally, someone made a work-appropriate backpack that makes sense for professional women
- This $155 laptop bag is one of the smartest we’ve ever carried to work — here’s why professionals will love it
- This tote that keeps selling out is the ultimate work bag for professional women
- A popular handbag startup is behind the perfect office-appropriate gym bag for men and women alike
Caraa
Caraa/Instagram
Shop backpacks at Caraa here
Athleisure often revolves around clothing, but gym-bag startup Caraa focuses on the all-important backpack. It creates fashionable, versatile, and durable bags you won’t be afraid to set on the ground or fill with sweaty clothes, including the famous and distinctive Studio Bag, which can be turned into a satchel, backpack, or crossbody with a switch of the straps. The bags are designed to perform, with breathable compartments, moisture wicking materials, and built-in USB chargers, to name a few features, and they look great.
What to buy:
- Stratus in Black, $195
- Sport Tote, $295
- Studio 2 Medium in Oxblood Blush, $395
- Studio Bag with Gold Hardware, $395
Learn more about Caraa:
- This $200 backpack from an up-and-coming athleisure startup is the only one anyone needs — here’s why
- 9 convertible backpacks that can easily transition into tote bags, duffels, or briefcases
- The best convertible backpacks that turn into tote bags
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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Source: Business Insider