Damien Kelly and his daughter Neve are making the family business hip again, one backpack at a time.
In an era where marketing dictates bold expression, identifiable branding, and micro-targeted demographics, the Kellys are overtly bucking the trend.
听Damien, who made a career as a bag designer for top international brands for 18 years, has partnered with his 14-year-old daughter to create the Little Black Bag, or LBB, an understated yet elegant canvas backpack trimmed with vegan or genuine leather that will retail for $99 and $149 respectively. The bag will be released under the Kings Road banner, named for Damien鈥檚 parent鈥檚 denim shop in the U.K. back in the 1970s and 鈥�80s.
A Kickstarter campaign, featuring a multi-generational video, ends Friday, Dec. 6.
鈥淚t鈥檚 absolutely versatile,鈥� said Neve, a student at Don Ross Middle School. 鈥淭hat was really important to us. We live a very diverse lifestyle. It鈥檚 perfect for biking or hiking, but then you can wear it to a nice dinner or a day shopping in the city. But perhaps most importantly, it鈥檚 not just a cute bag 鈥� it鈥檚 practical and well made.
鈥淎nd black,鈥� she added. 鈥淓veryone loves black.鈥�
鈥淲e want it to work for men and women and for multi-generational use. We like to say it鈥檚 a bag for the generations,鈥� emphasized Damien. 鈥淎nd we realize that covers a whole bunch of territory, so it has to be a versatile product 鈥� but that doesn't mean it has to be overly complicated, right?
鈥淭he world is full of niche solutions to every problem. We've taken the opposite approach; we're not going to be niche 鈥� which is really hard from a marketing standpoint. Our audience is everyone, and that's been a huge challenge.鈥�
The process of father and daughter working so closely together has been special.
鈥淚t was really easy and really natural. It's actually been a great collaboration,鈥� said the elder Kelly, who also has younger sons, River and Indy.
鈥淥f course we鈥檝e had struggles,鈥� added Neve, with a laugh.
鈥淣eve really directed the fashion and the vibe of the brand. I'm good at the design and putting the pieces together. But she pushed me to make it cooler.鈥�
Neve interjected, with a broad smile, 鈥淒ad, it's because you work with, like, outdoors brands your whole life.鈥澨�
The branding is exceptionally understated. To look at it when the bag is worn, you wouldn鈥檛 know who made it. On the underside, the panel that rests comfortably against the back, you鈥檒l only notice a black top-stitched tree, which Damien explains represents family. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a strong, solid oak that has deep roots and has seen a lot of history.鈥�
听鈥淭here's no logo or wordmark on the front face of the product,鈥� said Damien. 鈥淲e feel it鈥檚 super important for people not to be billboards. We want the bag to enhance the person 鈥� the person is most important 鈥� this is just an accessory to their lives. A brand shouldn鈥檛 make a person who they are, so we've hidden our branding. You can certainly enjoy it if you take the bag off you look at it. You'll see it, it's there, just not when you're walking around town.鈥�
鈥淭here's some thought behind it,鈥� said Neve.
Keeping the project simple to start was a key strategy, but there are already plans for more bags, and even clothing down the line if there鈥檚 an appetite for it, according to Damien.
鈥淲e're happy we started with a single bag. We don't want to over complicate our lives yet. I mean, my parent鈥檚 original store, King's Road, was a jean shop in England. So who knows, maybe jeans, are in our future?鈥�
For Neve, the process of designing her first bag and learning the ins and outs of marketing and the business has been invaluable.
鈥淲orking with my dad is really fun. And I definitely know this is something I want to do when I get older. I鈥檓 going to take it over, run it. I want to be a boss.鈥�
Dad couldn鈥檛 be more pleased as this whole process seems to dovetail perfectly with aspirations for the future of his children.
鈥淭hat's part of my vision as a parent. If I can set myself and the kids up in a great business that we all are fulfilled in, maybe they're going to have less anxiety. Not every kid's gonna fly to the moon. Instilling a good work ethic at a younger age, and letting them know that there's a future 鈥� not a free ride 鈥� but a path that's been laid out if they want to get involved is a good thing.鈥�
The LBB will be available in March of 2019 at retail and direct to the consumer.
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