Canvas
For Osuza
12/19

When OSUZA founders Tom and Steven first approached Soft Serve they brought with them a strong vision. After meeting at design school, the pair spent years devising a plan to launch a new carry brand. Not only did this include an ambitious backpack design, but also a boundary-pushing brand concept. Whilst their design background gave the project a strong creative foundation, it was the founders’ first endeavour into the world of product development and manufacturing. So in early 2018 the founders partnered with Soft Serve to bring their brand to life. The challenge was to realise their innovative flagship product as well as to establish a supply chain that would form the foundations of OSUZA.

To properly execute the OSUZA brand vision, together with Soft Serve the team undertook a collaborative and exhaustive development process. Ultimately almost every aspect of the bag became a custom component, built from the ground up. This included proprietary materials, hardware details and construction techniques. All of which came together to establish the quality needed to meet the demands of their market position. On top of the material challenges, thoroughly resolving the folding design concept involved extensive prototyping. After numerous iteration rounds of sampling, testing, auditing and reworking, the Canvas was launched into the world in late 2019. Bringing the OSUZA vision into reality.

The Canvas is a massively adaptable backpack that’s able to transform to meet the needs of any trip. It’s patented lay flat design allows for almost infinite expansion, from as thin as a laptop to as large as a keg. Accompanying the Canvas is a range of modular pouch and strap accessories that provide user customisation. The pack is currently produced in a custom polyurethane-coated Cordura cotton blended body fabric. Available in black or white. After its release, the Canvas went on to be shortlisted for the Carrology Everyday backpack of the year in 2020.