A SWEDISH ORIGINAL: FJALLRAVEN KANKEN BACKPACKS

All of us at Blackbird are proud to announce the addition of Fjallraven's Kanken and Mini Kanken backpacks to our roster for Fall/Winter 2009. They've just arrived in store and will be up on BlackbirdBallard.com soon in a number of colors. In the meantime, call 866-500-2524 or email info@blackbirdballard.com to find out which colors we have in stock and/or to place your order. Below is a little background on this historic little bag:

Introduced in August of 1978, Fjallraven's Kanken backpack was marketed as an alternative book bag for Sweden's school children because it centered its weight evenly along the spine and allowed both hands to be free. The new backpack was initially marked as a symbol of liberal political views and sometimes called "the Communist Hunchback" by stubborn detractors stuck on the old messenger style bags of their childhood, but Fjallraven's founder, Ake Nordin, hoped to sell 200 Kanken bags in their first year. He sold 400. The next year sales reached 30,000. Thirty years have now passed since the first Kanken was sold, and its popularity has grown far beyond the halls of Sweden's educational system.