When Eric Rothenhaus landed a gig as director of design at Jansport five years ago, he wanted to make an impression. He would do it by re-creating, down to the seat-belt straps, the very first JanSport backpack (and the first-ever backpack with a zipper) introduced in 1969. Problem: There were no sketches, patterns or even any actual bags available on which to model his re-creation—only a few black and white photographs. But that was all he needed to breathe new life into one of the most iconic geekcessories of all time. More »
