Hi, and welcome back to my blog, where I cover my exploits and interests as a photographer, writer, podcast host, Papa, and partner. If you’ve been reading my past blogs, you will know I am a lover of EDC! EDC stands for Everyday Carry and refers to the culture of why and how we carry certain things on our daily adventures. One of the biggest elements of EDC is having the right bag for the occasion, and I am on board with that! The EDC movement has been around for a very long time. But in recent years, it has flourished thanks to a passionate community of EDC lovers, influencers, and brands. Those brands include Crumpler, Bellroy, and, of course, Alpaka, all of which have harnessed social media to proudly showcase the movement’s best products and carry gear. While EDC has been around for a long time, back when I first started my obsession with bags and daily gear, it wasn’t called EDC. I believe that my love of EDC gear began when I was in Scouts. After all, the Scout motto was “Be Prepared,” and it always informed what I packed for camps and hikes, as well as what I chose to carry my gear in. Being prepared meant I had everything in my trail pack, including a water bottle, a torch, waterproof matches, and a first-aid kit. And let’s not forget the star of the show, my first Victorinox Swiss Army Knife. I vaguely recall winning that cherry-red pocket knife in some form of camp competition. And up until more recent law changes around carrying pocket knives in public, I always included a small Swiss Army knife in my kit.

When I began art school, I took the EDC concept to the next level by purchasing a bright red metal toolbox that carried my essential art supplies, including mechanical pencils, a steel ruler, fineliners, inks, art brushes, a visual journal, and more. Again, it was never referred to as EDC, but the core principles remained. My everyday carry mindset followed me to university, where I studied Industrial Design. Fast forward to my corporate days (being an artist didn’t pay the bills), when I became obsessed with Crumpler’s carry gear. Crumpler is a Melbourne brand created by a few mates who were part of a bike courier mob cycling all over Melbourne delivering documents. They designed and crafted the first Crumpler slings to safely transport those documents during the workday and later carry beer home from the bottle-o. And so the Curmpler brand was born and went on to design and sell a wide range of carry gear. I bought a lot of it back in those days and loved nothing more than taking my new Crumpler sling, backpack, or camera bag and packing it with my daily carry essentials.

These days, Aussie brands like Crumpler and Bellroy still offer a wide range of EDC backpacks, totes, slings, wallets, and pouches – I love a good pouch. But the (comparably) new kid on the block is Alpaka, which prides itself on developing thoughtful, high-quality products to meet the needs of everyday adventures like yours and mine. Alpaka operates under the core guiding principles of design, quality, community, and sustainability, along with its motto, Keep Moving Forward. Founded in 2016, Alpaka began its adventure with a Kickstarter campaign to develop the 7ven Messenger. It proved a success and laid the groundwork for Alpaka to step up to the EDC challenge. Today, Alpaka’s evolving range spans countless products, including totes, slings, messengers, backpacks, wallets, and pouches for organising your tech and smaller gear.

Born in the spirit of the alpaca, our story is one of relentless forward motion. Just as these resilient explorers navigate everything from fertile valleys to the windswept peaks of the Andes, ALPAKA gear is built to thrive in every environment your journey demands—urban, wild, and everywhere in‑between. We engineer each piece with high‑performance, remarkably durable recycled fabrics, transforming discarded plastic into carry solutions that empower you to Keep Moving Forward™ while treading lightly on the planet – Alpaka.

Enough preamble! Let’s talk about Alpaka’s latest adventure. Hot on the heels of the recent Fujifilm Australia Creator Summit 2026, where Alpaka was a leading partner, the brand took a seat at the table of Melbourne Design Week 2026 (MWD) to celebrate creativity, elevate design, and cherish community involvement. As part of MWD, Alpaka created the Carrying LOUD Vol. 2 (Carrying LOUD Vol. 1 took place during MWD in 2025) project and exhibition. Carrying LOUD Vol. 2 is a curated collaboration between Alpaka and Melbourne designer and artist Nysa Rohatgi of Studio Kē-dah. Located in Melbourne’s Docklands, Alpaka’s Academy studio played host to the MWD Carrying LOUD Vol 2 exhibition and opening night. I was invited by Alpaka to attend the opening and check out how some of Melbourne’s most promising designers and artists interpreted the brief. What’s more, I wanted to see how the designs align with EDC principles and culture.

As is my way, I showed up a little early to the event to get a sense for the space, lighting, and surrounding scenes. I took this opportunity to get some shots before the event opened and the space became too full. I met up with Alpaka’s Australian General Manager, Justin Kui, who gave me a quick rundown of the event and let me capture some behind-the-scenes images of Alpaka Labs. Labs is the brand’s dedicated design space located right next to the Academy. Alpaka is a prevalent presence in Docklands, which also has a second studio space and, of course, the Melbourne flagship Alpaka store. I may or may not have acquired some additional EDC items from the store. I am working on a compact yet essential camera tech/recovery kit using an Alpaka pouch – stay tuned for an upcoming blog.

Thanks everyone for coming tonight to Carrying Loud Vol. 2.
At ALPAKA, we’ve always felt that it’s not just about making products, it’s about building community and supporting creative people doing cool things.
For this show, we worked with designers and artists from Melbourne and Sydney and gave them access to our fabrics and materials to create their own pieces. It’s been really cool seeing these materials normally used in functional products turned into functional art through different creative perspectives.
And being part of Melbourne Design Week makes it even more special, because nights like this help support and spotlight the local creative community. So thanks again for being here and supporting it. Justin Kui – Alpaka Australian General Manager

With the event formally opened, I was able to take my time reviewing the nine design concepts created by nine artists/designers for the MWD event. Each piece, constructed primarily with Alpaka fabrics, materials, and hardware elements, was displayed on a plinth complete with an information tag detailing the design, artist, and intended outcomes. Each of the nine design objects optimised the use of Alpaka materials while also allowing for a vivid interpretation of the brief. Every design demonstrated creativity and flexibility, optimising the use of Alpaka’s recycled fabrics and hardware, and expanding to introduce new materials and elements. Given my background in art and design, I found the design concepts insightful, whimsical, and wonderful. Each of the nine artists and designers was proudly on hand to discuss their designs, processes, and experiences with the growing crowd. The MDW event was not my first in the Alpaka space, and I recognised and chatted with countless EDC-loving folk. It’s a testament to Alpaka’s desire to foster community and expand creativity that their loyal following is always on hand to support and promote the brand and its creative partners. I also had (yet another) opportunity to catch up with commercial photographer Jason Lau. I’ve known Jason for well over a decade, as we always seem to run into each other at these kinds of events. Jason is one of the most engaging and supportive photographers I’ve met and has also been a prominent guest on The Camera Life Podcast, which I co-host.

Before too long, the crowd grew, and conversations about art, design, and the nine marvels on display filled the air around me. While I wasn’t there in any official capacity, I photographed the designs and captured candid moments amongst those in attendance. Alpaka had also sourced a photographer and videographer to document the event. In between taking photos, checking out the exhibits, and chatting with folks, there was time to stop, grab a slice of amazing local pizza and chill by the drinks fridge. EDC, pizza, and photography! What a night! It was a lot of fun to play the part of a candid photographer to document the event. Throughout the evening, I chatted with others about the designs on display and our shared love of EDC, Alpaka products, and the broader carry community. And there’s that word again…community. Alpaka is going above and beyond to support the community and stand apart from other leading carry brands. While their contribution to the Fujifilm Creator Summit was huge, it was just one part of the brand’s focus on elevating carry culture, caring for its most loyal fans, and elevating art, design, and EDC practices in meaningful and creative ways.

Given my early adoption of the EDC/Be Prepared/Keep Moving Forward mindset, attending the Alpaka Carrying LOUD Vol 2 opening night was a pure delight. Not only did I get to witness and be a part of a unique yet vital design project and opening event, but I also got to scratch my EDC itch while connecting with like-minded folk. Attending the event also brought back many memories from my studies in Industrial Design. I recall my first student exhibition, where I had one of my first-year design projects on display. It was a modern, yet organic-formed landline with a base station and a handheld phone. Remember landlines? Those were the days! The point is, I felt that same sense of wonder and belonging then as I did while checking out the Alpaka event last week. And I haven’t thought about my design days in a long time. Alpaka deserves full credit for embracing Melbourne Design Week and for pushing EDC design into brave new spaces while celebrating the artists behind every stitch. And of course, the artists deserve high praise and recognition for their bravery, determination, concepts, and processes in challenging the status quo of what we believe good design to be. Amazing effort, everyone! Be safe. G