Crumpler is a bag manufacturer with two separately held companies who design and supply different products to their respective markets. The company is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia and has a European office in Berlin. Established in 1995, the company was founded by Dave Roper & Stuart Crumpler. It began as a messenger bag company, but has since expanded its range, notably into lifestyle, work bags and travel goods under CEO, Adam Wilkinson.
History
Crumpler was founded in Melbourne in 1995 by Dave Roper and Will Miller, and sculptor / furniture maker / bike courier Stuart Crumpler. Stuart designed the original Crumpler logo in 1991 which he branded onto his furniture designs. From the beginning, the bags were designed for bike messengers, in particular those working for David Roper and Will Miller's bike courier company, Minuteman. The range grew to include more options in colours and sizes. The story goes Minuteman needed better bags and Dave approached Stuart who was working part time as a bike courier and asked if he could make 20 for the fleet. The simple shoulder bags were much more practical for the job than a backpack. After making gradual improvements to the materials and design Stuart & Dave met at The George Hotel in St Kilda and decided to start a bag company. Crumpler's first factory was at level 2 125 Flinders Lane Melbourne in what was the old rag-trade district and just up the road from the Minuteman Messenger base. After orders increased they moved to 30 Brunswick St Fitzroy where they had a factory out back, shop in the front and a flat upstairs where Stuart Crumpler and his partner Suze and their dog Ansen lived. After further expansion the factory moved to Ballarat for a few years then back to Melbourne where the firm took over a huge derelict wool-store building in Kensington. After 10 years in Kensington they moved the studio, pattern room and office to Total House 180 Russell St Melbourne and kept warehousing in Kensington. Crumpler became known for unusual marketing largely credited to Dave Roper. Giant logo stencils painted on building site hoardings, the infamous Beer for Bags event where beer was the only currency accepted in store during the sale, logo fruit stickers placed on millions of apples and oranges, colour by numbers toilet paper, tiny boxes of matches, controversial websites & hosting the Australian Cycle Messenger Championships. The company continues to be an active supporter of grass roots & student art, film, photography and many creative pursuits often sponsoring and or financing projects. Stuart sold his share of Crumpler to Dave & Will in 2011, with Will selling his share in 2014 to investment group, Crescent Capital. In 2018, the Crumpler brand evolved with the launch of a new logo, whilst continuing to adhere to Crumpler core principles of creativity, quality, design, innovation, and a playful spirit. The brand continues to expand its international footprint with a push in to mainland China and Taiwan in late 2018
