In The Works

Following on from our last blog, I suppose the obvious retort from some people might be - well, that’s rich, when your company helps contribute to the consumer mountain. What about ditching retail and going frugal? How about rejecting consumerism altogether?

But we never said that people can do without goods and possessions. We all need stuff. For us, it’s about how that stuff gets produced, whether it’s really essential, what its shelf life might be, and what happens to it afterwards.

And we’re firm believers in grassroots movements like Freecycle with its brilliant way of redistributing used goods.

Truth be told, if we believed the naysayers and submitted to the economic gloom, we might as well as shut up shop right now.

But we’re actually feeling rather jaunty. As if spring is in the air. Any company, even one pledged to sustainability, needs to keep growing and stay ahead of the game.

We’ve been reviewing the product suggestions that you, our customers, scribbled in the little notebooks on our Millican stand as we toured the country this summer. And partnering with maestro Adam Atkinson of fellow Cumbrian brand, Cherchbi, we're designing some new products.

Starting up our own home-grown company, it’s been a blast to receive input from the visitors to our stand.

You’ve offered numerous requests, from the sublime to the distinctly bizarre. I mean, can anyone give us more information about what exactly one might do with a ferret bag? And what the likely national demand for this item might be?!

Then there were the other fab ideas that you scribbled down:

A smaller shoulder bag
A waist-pack, similar to a money belt
Suit-carriers
Bike-panniers
A camera bag with inserts
A saddle bag
A Blackberry holder
A swag (bed roll)
Vintage car bottle bags
A larger Gladstone bag with wheels

So how do we evaluate these ideas? For us, it comes down to some key questions:

Does this fit with our passion for utility shapes and for reviving them in modern, sustainable materials and with contemporary functionality?

How does the product fit into our overall range in terms of pricing and looks?

Does a new product replace an existing one or does it add something new?

What will help us stand out from the crowd? And what is this item’s part in the bigger Millican “story”?

Your notes give us the raw feedback about what you’re looking for and what you’re currently missing in our range. And if we can oblige we’ll be delighted. I mean, maybe we can combine the ferret bag with the smaller shoulder bag? Perfect for carrying a furry mammal across the fields or an ailing moggy in the city?

Photo courtesy of Zigiella

Right now, we’re pillaging the contents of our loft - a treasure trove of classic bags and hold-alls - and re-examining some classic designs and shapes. This is a designer’s dreamtime. Next we’ll ask Adam to draw up some sketches based on your feedback and research. Then we’ll sample three or four of the strongest ideas and get going with production of two or three for early May 2010.

So winter may be drawing in but it feels like it’s a green shoots time in another way. That old farming wisdom comes to mind - always have three seeds in hand. The one you’ve just planted, the one that’s growing, and the one that you’re currently harvesting.

In other words, don’t rest on your laurels. Or on the ferret bag.