Mesolite co-founders Yasmin and Dalia had continuously run into a problem in their dynamic, multifaceted lifestyles: as ambitious people who had careers, physically active lifestyles, and busy schedules, they frequently found themselves needing to carry a lot of stuff throughout the day as they chased the opportunities and challenges that life presented them. Traditional bags made it hard to compartmentalize their belongings in a way that made sense for quick and practical use throughout the day. They came up with an idea to combine daily bags specific to work, the gym, and more. They approached Design Central for assistance in prototyping, product development, and sourcing manufacturing.
Mesolite had already put a lot of thought into this concept and had several options for how they thought it might work. We used our expertise in prototyping and manufacturing methods to explore these concepts and help refine them into something that was both manufacturable and practical for consumer use. We then went through many rounds of prototypes, paying special attention to sizing and fit while balancing use and carrying capacity. We used CNC machining, laser cutting, sewing, and our designers’ soft goods expertise to create rapid prototypes in-house, saving time and cost. The result was a patent-pending, structured H-frame construction for the main bag, providing protection and easy access to belongings.
One of the biggest problems to solve was how to make each piece work individually as well as together as an integrated system. The biggest strength that Design Central could contribute was the prototyping combination of the soft and hard components before the manufacturer needed to make samples, as that would have cost a lot of money and time. While the current solution is composed of three sleekly designed, individually functioning bags that can snap together to form a single unit, the system is infinitely expandable and allows for future module additions. The result is a set that helps organize items and adapts so the end user only carries what they need in that moment. The side modules connect seamlessly to the main bag, but can also be used as independent carrying pieces, bringing versatility to the system.
The complexity of this project was unique, containing a combination of thermoformed and cut-and-sew components. Next steps involved a thorough sourcing search to find the right manufacturer that could work with this unique combination of techniques. We outlined processes for the manufacturer to help them understand the construction in a way that would effectively meet Mesolite’s goals for the product. They ran an successful Kickstarter campaign, fully funding their goal with over 100 backers.