Incase x Ari Marcopoulos

Hailing from Amsterdam and receiving tutelage under the great Andy Warhol, Ari Marcopoulos has been honing his craft, positioning himself in the midst of his subjects, for a quarter century. His work, no doubt the skateboarding aspect, has attracted the attention of Incase and together they have launched a special edition camera bag designed by Marcopoulos himself.

The case features heavy duty canvas on the exterior in a muted gray, which is both durable and doesn’t attract the wrong type of attention. The interior has multiple adjustable compartments to accommodate any arrangement of bodies, lenses, and flashes you need to carry for the day’s shoot. Interestingly, it sports a padded iPad pocket as well. Are photographers really using the Apple tablet as a review/touch-up tool? Rounding out the list of features is a rain cover, especially relevant now that Summer is over.

I was immediately drawn to the silhouette of the bag. It’s a sling which inspires a more casual vibe, not to mention more airflow to the  back. However, the bag is smaller than a typical messenger bag, particularly height-wise. The bag was clearly designed for DSLR setups that revolve around one primarily lens and perhaps one extra lens, as opposed to 3-4 lenses and multiple flashes; another design decision that sets it apart from the traditional camera bag. Finally, the bag has a pocket for a point and shoot, which is a constant companion for most photographers, yet oft-forgotten by designers.

This bag is refreshing and if it performs as well in the field as it does on paper, it’ll prove to companies that the best products come from a balance of real-world user feedback and designer refinement.

View more about the Ari x Incase Project