Tom Bihn Interview

Tom Bihn sent us a couple of their bags to review, and also one to give away to one of our readers. While we haven’t yet completed reviewing the bags (they will be put to the test in a couple of weeks at E3), I can say that people have stopped me to ask where I got the bag on the streets. We were able to sit down with Tom to discuss a few aspects of the company and what makes their bags unique. The questions are actually from you guys, as we received a bunch of email when we were running the bag giveaway.

What are a few things about a Tom Bihn bag that sets it apart from another?

All of our bags are completely American made. We are very proud of that. They are very streamlined, with appealing aesthetics with highly functional designs. Looking at them, you will also see that we use bold colors in our materials. One of the nicer things, though, is that the bags are extremely durable. We had one customer actually complain to us that his bag, after seven years, has yet to wear itself out!

How many designs and colors do you have in your product line?

We currently carry about 15 different bags. Through the years many have been discontinued, or taken off the shelf to be retooled with added or streamlined functionality. Our bags are constantly being redesigned to ensure relevant functionality.

The Tom Bihn Super Ego messenger bag features interchangeable color strips.

Does your line include product-specific pockets, such as pockets designed for the PSP or iPod?

The Tom Bihn line of products do feature pockets which aim to fit general form factor items like PDAs, iPods, and cell phones - however, they are designed to be general and not specific to any one line.

Do you have any products which are geared towards women?

We actually have a brand new bag, called the Lux. It was designed specifically for the Top 40 Music Awards. The id. There will soon be different modules available for the Lux bag which will transform it into a bag with different form factors. One of these will be a diaper bag module.

The Tom Bihn Lux bag was developed for the Top 40 Music Awards. It is now available for purchase on their website.

Have you collaborated with any other entities in developing any of your products?

Knitty Magazines May issue will ask readers to answer questions on their opinions on what the ultimate knitting bag would be. Knitting has taken off huge lately, and based on those answers we will design a bag for women that want a chic knitting bag. As for everything else, most of our collaboration really is with our customers. They will give us opinions on what they believe does and does not work, and we take that data into consideration.

How do you stay away from having the Tom Bihn line labeled as “bags for geeks”?

One thing we have noticed over the years is that we definitely have more Mac customers than PC customers. Mac users consider themselves to be the intelligent, more informed version of the geek. You see that reflected in our product line. It is our target to cater to the geeks. That being said, we also push our brand towards other markets which you will see with the Lux and the ID shoulder bag which are more fashionable and convenient.

- Andru Edwards