1. What sparked the creation of the Dayfarer Active Sling? Why did you decide to make that your next design?

I wanted a smaller bag which I can carry with me when I'm working out. I don't like to carry stuff like phone, key, and money in my pocket when I'm in the gym. That's why I am calling it Active Sling too, originally it was a bag I'll bring with me to do sports. However I end up using it daily as well, I even heard from many clients that they say this bag fits perfect to suit ;-)

2. How did you approach the design of the Active Sling compared to say the original Dayfarer Sling or Backpack?

Actually it started as a small version of the sling bag with ballistic nylon and the same Fidlock buckle as the sling. I actually started prototyping about a year and a half ago, or even two years ago, but it took me many prototypes until I was happy with the final bag. So slowly it's changed to a bit of a different style.

3. How did you decide on what materials and parts to incorporate into this bag?

I actually met the guys from Dimension Polyant® at the fabric fair and took some samples with me. I very much like the VX 21 fabric from them and therefore tried the fabric in a special edition of the DAYFARER backpack.

This edition became very popular and the feedback to the fabric for my client was very positive, therefore I decided to use it in my next main product.

4. Did you come across any difficulties when creating the Active Sling? Both design and production?

The production was very difficult because when I started the production the coronavirus was at its peak in China. The VX 21 fabric is actually made in the United States, but a lot of the hardware is delivered from China. Once I got everything I need for production, we still couldn't start because the brands which were producing bags before me had production delays, which delayed my production again too.

Making products has become very difficult, since the beginning of this year, but luckily it worked out in the end.

5. What does the process look like from mind to an actual working product?

Usually the first put a time it's pretty close to the end results already and then I just do some small changes to make it back a little bit better. However, the Active Sling was a very different back when I started and it took me, I think about seven or eight prototypes until I had the version I was happy with.

Are there specific guidelines in place that you follow to balance quality and price?

No, I don't even look at how much fabric or any hardware cost. I just choose the ones I think are the best and then I calculate the price based on this. But this is a very unusual way of making products, however, since it's just me, I can do it the way I like it best ;-)

6. What are some ideas you'd like to explore further down the line? Do you have any secret projects coming up later this year that you can share with our readers?

Yes, I would very much like to move in making technical apparel as well. Originally I wanted to do an apparel product right after the DAYFARER backpack.

I am prototyping for apparel for about 2 1/2 years already and will release the First Edition soon.

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Thanks to David and Modern Dayfarer for answering these questions and for more Modern Dayfarer check out http://urbancred.com/ for more awesome bags. Also, keep in mind that we have a special Pre-Order offer ongoing with 10% off with the code "DAYFARERACTIVE" at checkout. Expires end of June 2020. Full price once in stock. Click below for more details!

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