Our Story
BUILT is a New York-based company that designs fashionable and functional bags, totes, and cases for life on the go. Our roots in American industrial design guide us in the belief that form is as important as function and that great design makes life more enjoyable. Drawing inspiration from the city that never sleeps, we apply color and pattern to laptop sleeves, iPad cases, camera bags, lunch totes, and other accessories that protect the stuff you love wherever you go.
ORIGINAL LEATHER
WINE SATCHEL SKETCH
Aaron Lown and John Roscoe Swartz, collaborators since their days as grad students at Cranbrook Academy of Art, design a wine satchel from Italian leather for a friend’s wine importing company. The result is a bag that’s both beautiful and purposeful—and very expensive to reproduce.
AARON LOWN AND
JOHN ROSCOE SWARTZ
Aaron and John create a far more affordable prototype of the wine bag from neoprene.
In this “A-ha!” moment, BUILT is born. The guys develop a business plan and take on every role from sales and distribution to shipping and receiving.
BUILT debuts the One Bottle and Two Bottle Totes at the New York International Gift Fair. They receive over $100,000 in orders for the two products within two days. Later that year, the BUILT Two Bottle Tote is the winner of the coveted Gold award in Business Week’s annual Industrial Design Excellence Awards (IDEA).
BUILT sells its one millionth tote! The company moves into an office in SoHo, and expands its line into baby bottle and lunch totes. BUILT is again honored with an IDEA Gold award, this time for its Lunch Tote.
The Gourmet Getaway™ Lunch Tote makes an auspicious debut. BUILT also introduces the iconic Laptop Sleeve with its proprietary hourglass design.
The company expands its computer line with the debut of the Laptop Portfolio. BUILT also launches its first camera case, the Hoodie™, which combines form, function, and fun in an ultra-durable design.
The seven millionth tote is sold! BUILT partners with French Bull and pairs four of its best-selling products with their bold and graphic patterns. By the end of the year, BUILT is sold in more than 50 countries and 10,000 retail outlets worldwide.
BUILT expands its camera line with the launch of the Cargo™ Camera Bags and Soft Shell™ Camera Cases. The company ends the year on a high note by debuting the Alexander Girard Collection, which unites Girard’s colorful midcentury modern designs with BUILT’s innovative 21st-century products.
BUILT introduces its Phone Sleeve for the iPhone®, plus the protective Neoprene Sleeve and Neoprene Envelope for the must-have gadget of the year, Apple’s iPad®. The Laptop Tote Bag—a travel tote with a built-in laptop sleeve—also makes its debut, broadening BUILT’s range of smart and stylish on-the-go tech accessories.
BUILT custom fits its groundbreaking designs for the iPad® 2, MacBook® Pro, and MacBook Air® in a new collection of sleeves, bags, and cases specifically for Apple products. The company also branches out into new materials like polycarbonate and silicone with its Ergonomic Hard Cases for iPad® 2, iPhone® 4, and iPod touch® and its Silicone Soft Cases for iPhone® 4 and iPod touch®.
