Episode 005 – Reimagining the Backpack with augustnoa

In episode of our podcast, The Heart-led Brand, we’re chatting with Ally Lei of augustnoa!

augustnoa is a backpack brand that merges style, comfort and sustainability. Each of their backpacks are made from plastic recycled bottles, inside and out. They are also outfitted with YKK zippers, custom oversized hardware, vegan leather interior trim and padded back and shoulder straps. Since launching, augustnoa has been featured on Good Morning America, Who What Wear, ABC and more.

Episode Highlights:

On what Ally felt was missing among the traditional backpack options out there and how those pain points led her to design her own:

Comfort– “I have scoliosis. I've had it ever since I was a kid. It's just something that I've lived with basically at this point in my life, and I wasn't able to find something that was like stylish, but also comfortable.”

Style – “I've always loved fashion. I loved creativity, and I felt like backpacks were just kind of not cute. When I had this idea, it was basically just Jan Sport, North Face… Back in the day there was Herschel, and that was more geared towards guys, I feel like. A little bit different demo.”

Functionality – “Even today, I think it's still something that competitors are not doing. It's a really large water bottle holder. […] I usually have the really big Stanley or the really big hydro flask. And that has always been a challenge. You can't fit that into a backpack and what's the point of carrying a backpack if it can't hold all my essentials, right? I'm not carrying a backpack for aesthetic or like a fashion accessory. I'm carrying it out of practicalities. So I wanted to be as elevated stylistically, but also very, very practical where it makes my life easier. And then lastly, just pockets and compartments. Not too many pockets where it's overwhelming. You end up not using anything when you can't find what you're looking for. But also the right amount of pockets where you knew exactly where you will place all your items.”

On navigating the product development phase and how many iterations she went through to create augustnoa’s first product:

“Oh my god, honestly so many! Hundreds! […] I went through, I think, five manufacturers because I think at one point, two manufacturers were like, “You're asking for too much. Like, we're good.” Because I was just very specific. I didn't wanna go in with a product that I wasn't proud of. If I was gonna put it out there into the world, I wanted for me to be proud of it.

And I'm such a perfectionist that it just naturally took a long time. I wanted all the pocket placements, the material, the comfort, the sustainability aspect, the ethical production and the sourcing, all of it to be cohesive. And also the people I worked with. I wanted it to be something where I value them and we can continue to work and grow together long term. And they have the capacity to grow, but also patient with me. It was just me at the time. […] And even now, I made hundreds of prototypes. It took me two and a half years to really perfect the design to be something I'm proud of. But as we're speaking, I’ve already gotten feedback and we're changing the backpack because I want it to be a constantly evolving, growing brand/product where it just gets better over time.”

On how she prioritized sustainable values while searching for manufacturers:

“Sustainability – it's definitely the buzzword now. But when I started working with manufacturers like five years ago, that was not the norm. People were like, “You're crazy. It's gonna be so expensive. You're so small. It's a self-funded business. You have no experience. You're crazy, like insane. We're out.” I was so picky about everything. I didn't wanna sacrifice any component for augustnoa. I think at the end of the day, it's just sticking to your vision, but being persistent on your long-term goal.

I always knew augustnoa was going to be a sustainable, comfortable, and the stylish brand. So those are kind of the core pillars and I would call these manufacturers saying, “Hey, you don't know me, but my name is Ally Lei. I have this crazy business idea. I would love to just sit with you and if you can just give me 10 minutes, let me sell you on my vision and I promise you, I would love to grow with you together. Maybe not in two years, maybe not in five years, but 10 years down the road. I promise this will be worthwhile for both of us. So it's a mutually beneficial relationship.”

You can follow augustnoa on Instagram and Tiktok and check out their products at augustnoa.com!