Skip to content

Press Release

DesignNewswire · COMO, Italy ·

RiutBag X35 Secure Origami Bag by Sarah Giblin Receives the Silver A' Design Award in Fashion and Travel Accessories Design

The international grand jury of the 2019 - 2020 A' Design Award & Competition recognizes Sarah Giblin for fashion and travel accessories design

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 23, 2020 /DesignNewswire/ RiutBag X35 Secure Origami Bag by Sarah Giblin, designed for Riut Limited, has been granted the Silver A' Design Award in the Fashion and Travel Accessories Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The result belongs to the 2019 - 2020 A' Design Award & Competition and was reached through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.

What the Silver A' Design Award Means

The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.

About RiutBag X35 Secure Origami Bag

RiutBag X35 is a secure travel backpack that changes size. The backpack folds to a 15 litre laptop bag for city commuting and expands to 40 litres, the maximum cabin size accepted by many airlines. All zips are placed against the wearer's back, so the main compartment cannot be reached by others during travel. The main compartment opens like a suitcase and has a bright interior. Materials include 1000D nylon cordura, waterproof thermoplastic polyurethane and YKK zips. The expanded size is 50 x 35 x 20 cm.

About Sarah Giblin

Sarah Giblin founded UK urban product design company Riut in 2014. She is a one-person entrepreneur who designs every aspect of RiutBags. Riut, pronounced "riot", stands for Revolution in user thinking. This is Sarah's personal mantra, her disruptive yet positive design philosophy and the impact she wants her products to have on their users. RiutBag users are urban travelers: commuters, urban tourists and city dwellers. Sarah designs products to meet the demands of our urbanisation challenges: high density population, associated crime, stress, time pressure and fear of crime. Riut's products empower the user to feel calmer and safer in an urban context.

Award Record

This recognition makes Sarah Giblin a winner of 4 A' Design Awards. The awards were granted between the 2014 - 2015 and the 2019 - 2020 editions of the A' Design Award & Competition.

About the A' Fashion and Travel Accessories Design Award

The A' Accessory Design Award is an international fashion design competition recognizing good accessory designs by leading designers and brands worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to accessory designers, fashion designers, travel accessory designers and luxury goods manufacturers from all countries. Typical entries include handbags, scarves, belts, luggage, hats and travel bags. The awarded accessory designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/accessory

About A' Design Award & Competition

Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com

Press Resources

Media Contact

Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953

###

Fact Sheet

The Work

Project
RiutBag X35 Secure Origami Bag
Function
Secure Origami Bag
Category
Fashion and Travel Accessories Design
Discipline
Fashion Design
Industry
Fashion and Luxury
Colors
Silver, Dark Slate Gray, Black, Dark Gray and Gray
Images
5
Client
Riut Limited

The Recognition

Laureate
Sarah Giblin
Country
Great Britain
Recognition
Silver A' Design Award
Edition
2019 - 2020
Design ID
#97812

Credits

Team
Sarah Giblin, designer
Image Credits
Riut Limited

Design Details

Unique Properties
This secure travel bag changes shape when the traveller needs more or less capacity. It expands in size with the needs of the traveller. It can be folded to an everyday 15 litre laptop backpack for city commuting. Or, it can be expanded to 40 litre which is maximum airline cabin allowance. This backpack is secure by design: all its zips are designed safely agains the wearer's back so no one else can get in as you travel. Two-in-one secure travel backpack with a laptop holder. Ideal for the urban commuter and frequent flyer.
Inspiration
I am inspired to design for the realities of city travel. My goal is to keep travellers secure so they can travel with confidence every day in the world’s busiest cities. My customers told me they love the security of their RiutBags. When I asked them for feedback they said: I know it's impossible, but I wish the RiutBag could be small when I'm only carrying a little, a big when I'm carrying a lot. I thought it was impossible too. But then I started prototyping the origami backpack.
Research
I research to uncover the blindspots in our most used everyday objects, like the backpack. I research by looking for problems and complaints in travellers’ user feedback. Complaints help us uncover design problems which we cannot easily see. Are these problems that many people are experiencing? I listen and use the freedom I have - as a one person startup - to think of something new. I am free to experiment in my designs because my customers expect innovation from me now.
Challenge
Rapid urban change in cities and people's ideas is the greatest challenge to backpack design. I adapt the urban backpack to help travellers stay safe and flexible. Changing reliance on technology, new devices and forms of technology which arrive. My challenge: to design for users in ever changing urban environments so we can adapt, feeling secure and peace of mind in our megacities, urban metropolises and as we move beyond planet earth to become multi-planetary.
Realization and Technology
I design by reading my customer user feedback surveys and focussing on the the big and small problems they raise. I draw my designs by hand and prototype them with my factory in China which has made over 20,000 RiutBags to date. Materials used include 1000D nylon waterproof cordura, waterproof thermoplastic polyurethane, YKK zips. I personally check every single RiutBag X35 in the factory to ensure the highest quality before they are shipped. I design every part of the RiutBag and fund new designs myself on Kickstarter.
Operation and Interaction
RiutBag X35 arrives folded. It is worn over both shoulders. For more capacity, unclip the side snap fastenings and top buckles. The materials fold to compact again - see video. Double zips open the main compartment in the back panel. RiutBag X35 opens up like a suitcase with a bright interior. The design changes size to suit the needs of the traveller and stays secure whenever it is worn. Because no one else can get into the RiutBag X35, it lets you travel with confidence, openness and less stress.
Project Duration and Location
The project started in March 2019 in Manchester, England. The design and prototype phase took three months. It was funded on Kickstarter in June 2019 and the first production was completed in November 2019.
Specifications
RiutBag X35 in expanded form:50 x 35 x 20cm. This is the largest size which fits within the cabin allowance for a large number of airlines in the UK, Europe and internationally. It fits a 15.6" laptop and is able to adapt to a wide range of body sizes.
Keywords
Travel bag, laptop backpack, anti theft backpack, secure bag, expanding backpack, innovative backpack design

Good Design Deserves Great Recognition

Nominate Your Work for the A' Design Award.

Nominate