RiutBag (pronounced 'Riot Bag' and derived from 'Revolution in user thinking', natch) was started by commuter Sarah Giblin in 2014 to address what she perceived as a fundamental flaw with most backpacks: when worn on the back, as on a bus or train, the zips and flaps face away from the wearer and are instead invitingly within sticky-fingered reach of any opportunistic thieves standing nearby.
Following this Damescene revelation, Giblin quit her City day job and pursued her dream of launching the 'backwards' backpack with her life savings and a Kickstarter campaign. Fast forward to today, where it's 20,000 Riutbags sold and the company recently 'bagged' a European Product Design Award.
E&T looked at the company's pandemic-inspired backpack back in May, with its focus on the specific needs of healthcare professionals and concerned citizens everywhere, featuring a wipe-clean outer material and dedicated holders...