A bland bag, a fashion designer and the desire to revolutionize the conventional monotony of the
bag market. The result: a hip fashion label from New York with shark graphics, which is writing an
international success story under the bold statement "Hello My Name Is". The name: Sprayground.
The creative founder: David Ben David
Interview: Ivona Okanik
It’s said that a conventional, almost boring bland backpack was the trigger for you to enter the fashion scene. How did that happen?
David Ben David (called DBD): I loved fashion. It was my passion. I was raised by three sisters and a single mom and they were all so into fashion it bled into me. After NYC art school I was ready to start a fashion brand, but I did not want to start another tshirt or mens apparel line, so when I was shopping for a new backpack for an upcoming trip, the light bulb idea came on! What if I put my art onto bags and create this rebellious accessories and travel company?! So with one idea, a trip to Asia and some financing from my boss turned partner, I launched the Hello My Name Is Backpack! The first of its kind. Then I set on a path and mission to reinvent that entire industry.
How did the name Sprayground come about?
I wanted a new name. Something fresh and blank so I can fill in the meaning. I was an avid street artist spray painting, painting, sculpting and building anything I could get my hands on! From that genre I took the word “Spray”. To me it meant “to create”, the initial start of a new creative project. Then the word “Ground” from underground art or underground movement. I wanted to create Sprayground as an artistic driven underground movement that was the antimainstream, underground brand that you only knew about through word of mouth!
Where did all the inspiration come from, what is particularly important for you and what distinguishes the products from others in the fashion industry?
I was a horrible student growing up, I couldn’t pay attention. I was always dreaming. Always doodling in my textbooks. Drawing tattoos and funny faces on all the characters in my history book. I probably shouldn’t have but I was addicted to movies. From the 80’s, 90’s and 2000’s and 2010’s I saw every
movie there was. In the 90’s I loved watching movies that were filmed in other countries. I always studied by nature, the way characters were transported to distant lands. I loved all the cars, planes and gadgets in spy movies. I loved the action, romance and fashion that was created. Nature and the journey always intrigued me. Now movies are like fast food. Back then they took their time and created classics. I got tremendous amounts of inspiration there. Growing up in The Bronx, New York and then going to art school in Manhattan was eye opening to me. Everyone had their unique fashion and personality and I could sit on a bench outside of Central Park and watch all the people for hours, it was the best fashion show ever!
I always have to outdo the last design that I launch. The brand has become a collectible favorite and I made it mandatory the design team and I always push groundbreaking ideas. How can I elevate the backpack? The duffle? The luggage? How can I make it unique? Before Sprayground the bag world was seen just as a utilitarian product. I refreshed the industry and made it a fashionable accessory. No-one cared to make the backpack cool. Everyone used to even call it a knapsack. Knapsack because it was such a sleepy category. I set my life’s mission to make products exciting and earn the name ‘backpack’. The backpack is such a personal accessory because it carries our personal items. A car has a trunk. We as mobile humans use the backpack as our trunk.
If one word would describe how I distinguish the product from others is BOLD! I design the product to tell a story. To be loud. To be fearless. To be full of color. Like a mobile art movement! Where others might focus only on one aspect of function or fashion, I merge function, fashion, quality, price and art…and a sprinkle of love!
Sprayground not only stands for cheeky, colourful bags with the typical shark graphics. The product range expands continually and the collections and also the collaborations with other brands (F1 for example) are growing, what are your future visions for the brand?
I design from my gut. I review, approve and direct every piece of art created. The sharkmouth was one of 15 designs in my 2nd year of starting Sprayground and it was a big hit. But I did not want that design to get boring, so I started to manipulate it, transform it and reinvent it. One example is taking
the sharkmouth and turning it into an Island, or a SpaceShip or having it glow in the dark.
I also create unique pieces of art on the bags, sometimes abstract, sometimes graffiti or street art. I created characters within the Sprayground atmosphere like The Money Bear, The Diablo Bear and AstroMane. I never lose the essence and edginess of the brand to push the boundaries of art and how it can be perceived. I enjoy expanding the brand because it gives me new opportunities to freshen up old forgotten categories like Luggage. I always had a saying that described my style of designing and that was that I loved to “turn the mundane into the insane!”
From backpacks I have expanded into duffles, crossbody bags, totes and luggage and really focusing on building travel products. Then after that I started to make small collections of apparel, swimwear and outerwear.
The Collaborations helped me tell stories in fun new ways for the brand. Some notable Collabs would be remixing Formula 1 and even wrapping an F1 Car, designed a gaming chair, a basketball collection with Spalding, or reinventing characters and putting them in the Sprayground world….like Spongebob, Rick & Morty, Iron Man or Batman. Working with street artists like Ron English & Cope, athletes like Shaquille O’ Neal, movie directors like Spike Lee, musicians like Young Thug & Chris Brown and indie artists like Sandflower.
I enjoy breaking barriers to tell new stories and working with unique artists that want to portray their ideas on my canvas and to use the platform to tell a certain message.
Every new collection is a challenge and requires an immense amount of creativity, zeitgeist and a feeling for trends. What is the secret of your almost inexhaustible source of inspiration?
And focus haha. Like I said earlier I was distracted in class daydreaming of the days that I can just create all day. So now it’s funny how much laser focus I need to have to continuously be on the cusp of creating “what’s next”! I live in a movie and I can change the perspective as I see fit. I see trends but cut through them like a speed boat. 99% of brands get caught up with trends and rely on that to survive. I took a different approach, “the path of MOST resistance”. It’s more work but less crowded in that mindset. It would be harder but I always believed in the four words, “No Pain, No Gain”.
One must tend the garden if they want it to grow robust. My secret is a never ending desire to make life exciting and visually stimulating. My gift is that I see things from a different perspective.
Looking back; which collection would you rate as particularly challenging and which one is (till now) your all time favourite and why?
The most challenging was creating for the very first time in 2020 a collection with my team while in quarantine. Unable to touch the samples, work with a team face to face, create new ideas in my sewing and sample room. The goal of that collection was to create 150 unique designs all while distant. That was most challenging but most rewarding because when we launched it in 2021 it was the most successful collection to date! I guess pressure under the right circumstances can turn ideas into diamonds.
I do not have a favorite. All the bags are like all my kids and I don’t have a favorite. But each collection I pick a bag that I will wear that season. Currently I am wearing an all white embossed unreleased military style backpack. But some notable ones that took the brand to new levels were the Wing Backpack, The Sharks in Paris, The Bag To The Future Backpack & The Teddy Bear Backpack.
Sprayground as a brand has now become a statement and is popular with celebrities, athletes and individualists. A trendsetter (prefer to use the word ‘fashion’ instead of trendsetter) brand whose fanbase is growing worldwide and which limited editions are faster sold out like no other. Would you have imagined (or hoped for) such a success in such a short time when designing your first bag?
I dreamt of creating a brand. Not just a normal brand but a brand that would get me and others around the world. A brand that people would wear and collect. A brand that has meaning to others. A personal meaning that connects with the wearer. I figured if I make every collection with hundreds of offerings but make each product super super limited then that might be the way to create the exclusivity vibe. Like I said earlier I did not want to create a brand to sell products. I wanted fans and customers to feel empowered, embolden & feel unique. Creating a limited edition product helped me tell that story. No two people should wear the same product, as we were all created with our unique personalities, then the product we buy and wear should have that same ethos.
The products have an artistic appearance with a rebellious character. Would you describe yourself as rebellious? And if so: What are you rebelling against / how would you describe yourself?
I am rebelling against commerce, against corporate America and against the nay-sayers. Commerce, because big institutions want a profitable product that sells millions and millions of the same thing. I broke that when I created one of a kind and limited edition products but making the collections have a wide array of offerings. Corporate America, because it’s very rare to have the chief creative director also as its CEO, but businesses should be run by creative people and not “numbers people''. You need those people in the business, but the businesses first approach should be the quality of its product and customer and fan service and vibe. The Nay-Sayers, because when growing up I was a quiet kid, not because I was shy, but because I liked to listen and observe. Bullies took that as a sign of weakness and was constantly berated. The turning point when one bully said I was not good at anything and that I am not good at any one thing. Good thing he said that because that fueled my fire!
What (Sprayground) bag/accessories are your daily companion, and why?
I use my new faux leather soft vegan luggage for traveling. That one is called The XTC DRIP. My backpack is an unreleased military style backpack and I love using the wallet I recently launched. I use the luggage because it’s so boujee and has so much detail it makes me proud. It motivates me to travel. The unreleased backpack because like I said I love that everyone should show off their unique personality and the wallet because I made it with a zipper so I stuff it with all receipts and cards.
I’m not leaving the house without.. My Sprayground Sling and Sprayground Bathing Suit! There’s Always time to hit the beach! And I'm soon to launch Sprayground Footwear – watch this space!
What makes you proud?
When I see fellow humans wearing a backpack. Wow Wow Wow! What a blessing from the Heavens! Finding new up and coming artists to work with. Designing a collection that tells an overarching story and message. Lastly, traveling and wearing the product I create.
What’s important for you in life?
The real motivation behind all this is to take care of my family and children and to give opportunities to people that are starving artists like me. I was raised in a difficult childhood with four siblings and a single mom on food stamps and shopping at second hand thrift stores. So work ethic, the grind, the focus all has to be precise every time like heart surgery. I can stay static in life or I can move myself and the people around me forward. I choose the latter.
What would you change in the world if you could?
In the Temple I went to as a child it had two big words on the front door, “Kindness and Compassion”. If everyone treated each other and their neighbors with those two characteristics then we would all be living in a beautiful world!
What are your future plans with the brand and are there cool new projects in the line that you would like to tell us about?
I want to create a HoverPack. My mission was to evolve the Backpack. The HoverPack is a backpack that transports you a few centimeters above the ground! Some new technology I have ideas for and will develop. Shhhhhhhhh
Thank you DBD for the interview and your time! *