Beautiful Backpack Art

The Eastpak backpack has had an uber-cool arty makeover thanks to Designers Against Aids.

Known for being on the shoulders of every London-bound tourist and grungy teenager, the backpack brand has asked 130 of the world’s most avant-garde artists to create their own version of the classic Padded Pak’r design – resulting in an eclectic collection of over 200 imaginative accessories that truly bend the idea of what a backpack can be.

With contributors including fashion designers, painters, sculptors, street artists, and musicians, the designs range from intricate illustrations (reminiscent of how we used to doodle on our messenger bags in our teens) to a surreal barbed wire bag, and one sporting a bundle of fake French bread from its front pocket.

Like many nineties fashion items, the backpack has made a bit of a comeback this year, with hip NYC designer like Alexander Wang re-imaging them in super-luxe materials, and we spotted a fair few on the streets at London Fashion Week. But these custom, one-of-a-kind creations stand out because they were made for a good cause – each will be sold on the Eastpak website with all proceeds going to raise HIV/Aids awareness.