College Backpack World, a Tucson-based merchandise company, has received NCAA approval to begin producing University of Arizona designs, marking its first venture into the Big 12 market.
It took College Backpack World 10 years to get the proper licensing and approval from the NCAA.
“It was really difficult to get this approval because it was something so new and different to me,” company founder Victor Orange said. “Every single step seemed to get harder because you want to create a unique backpack to represent the school and the university just wants to protect the school and make sure they maintain a positive image.You really just have to bend to what they want, but once I figured it out I knew that I had something unique that would have to work out because no other company could copy it.”
Orange’s backpack celebrates the college experience with designs that include one large compartment and three outside pockets. The UA’S trademarked logo is in the center. Each section of the bag, from the pockets to the body of the bag, boldly represents UA’s signature colors.
“There was a void for a particular style that I was looking for in the backpack. I’m 56 so I drew a lot of my influence from the styles of the ‘80s and ‘90s, big fashion statements that we don’t have in the backpack world,” Orange said of his design. “And now no one else has this type of loud and particular color expression that College Backpack World has.”
Orange first gained inspiration at Northwestern Oklahoma State University, where his daughter played basketball. He observed most of the backpacks worn by students were plain and lacked a sense of pride toward their college experience.
“When I went to college, I was just on cloud nine because everything was different and new,” Orange said. “You got the bright colors and logos and cool-colored mascots at smaller schools like Northwestern, too, and I wanted to take that attention and make it into a backpack because they hadn’t seen a presentation like that before.”
Orange approached four manufacturers with his NWOSU design idea before deciding to do it himself. He purchased an embroidery machine and experimented until his vision became a reality.
When he worked out all the details, Orange sent the prototype to a tailor.
“One day I just get this voicemail of this woman screaming on the other end. I couldn’t hear what she was saying. I had to listen to it three times just to understand who it was,” Orange said. “She was so excited and I finally realized it was the tailor saying that she had finished the bag.”
After he started selling the backpacks at NWOSU, Orange began receiving requests from students at other universities across the country, many with unique mascots or vibrant colors. In addition to UofA and NWOSU, College Backpack World also has backpacks representing Mississippi State University.
Orange said among the schools he would like to expand to is Arizona State University and Oklahoma State University. He also would like to expand into HBCU (Historically Black College or University) schools so they can get the recognition they deserve, too, he said, naming-dropping Jackson State University among several university markets he would like to enter.
Orange said that he hopes students who buy his bags see them as a reminder of the unique accomplishment of graduating college.
“I’ve had people who came up to me and said, ‘Thank you for this bag because I got to graduate’,” he said. “And I think that this company and these bags are a reminder of that unique accomplishment. When people take that journey through college, life happens, so if nothing else you have something to remind you of that stage of your life to give you encouragement and peace of mind moving forward.”
College Backpacks are available through https://collegebackpackworld.com/ for $60-$100.
Arizona Sonoran news is a news service of the University of Arizona School of Journalism.
