Lantinga Vita, a new Montreal startup, is tackling a problem we all face, by designing a bag that does as much as we do in a day. In our daily lives, we find ourselves between many activities – whether it be work, the gym, school, or catching up with friends – and rushing around the city to get it all done. We seem to do it all. Can we have a bag that also does it all? The team behind Lantinga Vita thinks so.
To turn this idea into a reality, Lantinga Vita is launching their first product “Tempus” on December 1st 2015 through a Kickstarter campaign. Kickstarter is crowd-funding platform, allowing entrepreneurs to turn their project into a business. With the help of project backers, Lantinga Vita will be able to finance their first production run.
The inspiration for this bag stemmed from Nina Lantinga, the company founder, having a frustrating start to the day at the McGill library: Nina found her tuna sandwich squished all over her laptop and her gym shoes. This familiar frustration became the seed of an idea and the root for Lantinga Vita’s product and mission: “Provide timeless design with a commitment to support and inspire a healthy life”.
The concept for the first bag was centered around the notion that the products we use should be an extension of our being, supporting us through our daily lives. From this notion originated “Tempus”, which is a latin word meaning time, opportunity and temple.
The first design was a sports bag that allowed for carrying of multiple items, while staying organized throughout busy days. While designing the first prototype, a friend suggested to enter the idea in the McGill Dobson Cup Start-up competition. With the help of mentors from the McGill Dobson Center and an outstanding support system of family and friends, this idea became a big plan that won the Dobson Cup Grit Prize.
Nina saw this as an opportunity to have a positive impact on the world. She wanted to build a bag that supported an active lifestyle, while considering the health of the planet, and the people who live on it. Through this lens, Nina had to redefine the product, and its purpose. She aimed to build a product that was versatile, that could go anywhere, and that eliminated the need for carrying multiple bags. This would not only save effort and money for customers, but also reduce waste by conserving resources and eliminating the need for buying multiple fast fashion products. When Lantinga Vita received a bursary from the “Concours Entrepreneurs en Action!” given by the CDEC Rosemont – La Petite-Patrie, this dream began to materialize.
After consulting a multitude of manufacturing companies, Nina realized that achieving a high quality product, made from sustainable material, and void of chemicals, would be her biggest challenge. To overcome this challenge, Nina chose to work with the best. This led her to work with bluesign® system partners.
The bluesign® system fulfills the most stringent criteria for sustainability by encouraging social responsibility, environmentally friendly and safe production, conservation of natural resources, and a high level of product safety. As the company Founder Nina explains, “Implementing the bluesign® system in the early stages ensures that Lantinga Vita will become part of industry solutions in a commitment towards better health for our planet and the people who live on it”.
Today, the bag has evolved into a product that is sustainable, functional, and fashionable. “We want to make the world a better place, we want to look good doing it, and this bag does exactly that. We decide what we put into our world, and Lantinga Vita is committed to creating positive change”, says Nina.
Lantinga Vita is a local Montreal business led by a young entrepreneur, mentored by industry experts through the Fondation Montreal Inc., accompanied by a creative and energetic team, tackling the global issue of sustainability and innovative design. Positive change starts with grit and evolves with a passion for a better future for all. On December 1st 2015 is your chance to back this project. Be the first to own Tempus, and redefine how you carry.
