Sprayground: Transporting Art In Style | Featured Story.

SORRY WE'RE CLOSED. COME IN WE'RE OPEN. Those are the names of just two of the super unique backpacks you can find on Sprayground.net. They say the best companies and ideas are the ones founded out of necessity; the ones that seek to make people's lives easier or better. That's the foundation of Sprayground; which sought to give street artists a means of carrying their spray cans and has since developed into a full blown collection of eye catching, customized backpacks and duffles. 

Founder David Ben-David, or "DBD" as he's referred to, has come up with a way forgraffiti artists to travel in style as well as more conveniently. Although these products are sure to attract attention and provide you with an identity, it goes beyond that. "GUB's" or Graffiti Utility Backpack's come specially designed to hold anywhere from 8 - 16 cans of spray paint in these custom-cushion velour slots.

Anyone who knows about artists knows that their self-expression stretches beyond their work and into their everyday lifestyles. Sprayground has you covered whether you're looking to transport spray cans, books, a laptop, or just need something extra to match your sneakers and show people what your name is (in reference to their popular "Hello My Names Is..." series of bags).

Below, I ask the man behind Sprayground, DBD, a few questions to get further insight into the Sprayground brand which is carried in stores worlwide from Atlanta and California to Japan and Australia.

Q: To start off, can you tell us how long Sprayground has been around and when you first saw signs that it would be a successful brand?

A: The bag market is full of black bags and repeat patterns with no real authentic designs or new concepts. When I first launched the Hello My Name is bag, it was an instant success. This confirmation opened the door to fun and cool designs on bags. A new way to represent ones style.

Q: What's the thought process that goes into launching a new collection or designing a new customized backpack?

A: I first try to reinvent the bag by turning it into something else, as opposed to just slapping a new design on it. A perfect example would be the Junk Mail bag; how it wraps around the bag and that it's customizable.

Q: Your background as an artist and designer in Miami has obviously helped you with your company. How important would you say it is to tie in your passion to what you do for a living?

A: My passion started in street art, surfing and skating which led me to eventually shaping my own boards and designing the art on them. So all my inspiration comes from my past experiences and passions growing up in miami. 

Q: And in that spirit, Sprayground is providing people who may be passionate about art but never bought a can of paint in their lives an opportunity to be part of the culture. Is that a factor to you or do you aim to cater strictly to artists?

A: Definitely the creative bunch because all our bags are fashion and conceptually full of art. From the bags with art printed on them to the bags that hold graffiti supplies, we are all about the artists passions.

Q: What has been the most successful Sprayground product to date and why do you think that was?

A: Two bags: The Hello My Name Is backpack because it can relate to anyone, it's customizable and visually striking. The second would be the Money Stacks Backpack because it looks like real money stacked in the bag. Truly dope!

Q: On your website Sprayground.net we see a few HBO stars wearing your products. Is some product placement in movies and television in Sprayground's future?

A: Yes, of course. We currently have Justin Bieber, 50 Cent, Far East Movement and Jaden Smith. The product is unique, so celebrities are flocking to it.

DBD hit it on the head with his first response to me about how the bag market is filled with black bags with little creativity or innovation to them. Now you have something that not only looks good but gives you an identity as you walk the streets on the way to your next art mission. Whose work would you check out first, the guy pulling spray cans out of a plastic shopping bag or the guy pulling them out of a Sprayground? Simple decision.

Official Website

Sprayground's Store on Ihlet.com

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