This year, Australian bag brand Crumpler is celebrating 25 years of bag making.
To celebrate this milestone, the brand teamed up with Australian crochet king Chili Philly (Phil Ferguson) to create a crochet version of Crumpler's Barney bag, as well as a Barney-inspired jumper.
Crumpler head of design, Valeria Fioretti told Ragtrader that the partnership with Ferguson was not only fun, but also allowed the brand to reach his followers.
"Chili Philly’s creations have taken the Instagram world by storm, gathering over 130,000 followers.
"Even though this was not a commercial initiative but something fun and colourful that we thought our community would enjoy, it was a great opportunity to reach out to Phil’s fans and maximise brand social exposure.
"Barney has been at the top of our best sellers since its launch, so are confident to say that the way we decided to push it, is showing positive results," she said.
And positive results they were.
To date, the video of Ferguson wearing the Barney-inspired jumper has clocked up 10,500 views.
While the celebrations of the anniversary have been a focus in 2020, the business has also continued progressing towards its other objectives, Fioretti said.
"We’ll continue designing unique carrying solutions to our customers ensuring we take them on our journey.
"Being authentic and transparent with our community is a priority to us.
"We’ve been focusing on the implementation of sustainable materials in our range, mainly during the last two years, and today we’ve already got four full collections made from 100% recycled fabrics.
"This is just the beginning, we are committed to push it as far as we can," she said.
CEO Adam Wilkinson said that the business is also going to continue its expansion internationally.
"In terms of business expansion, we are aware that bricks-and-mortar in Australian retail will be tough in the next months or maybe years.
"However, we are a little more optimistic with our Asian based stores.
"Online growth is obviously key to ongoing success, both in owned eCommerce channels and online marketplaces," he said.