From Trash Bags to Statement Bags
In 2009, Scot and Jacqueline Tatelman were running a nonprofit summer camp for kids from under-resourced neighborhoods in New York. Every summer, they watched children arrive carrying everything they owned in trash bags and ripped plastic bags. One day, a girl's bag tore open on a train platform, scattering her belongings everywhere.[reference:0]
That moment sparked something. In 2013, the Tatelmans launched STATE Bags — a company built on a simple promise: for every bag sold, a fully-packed backpack is donated to an American child in need.[reference:1]
Today, STATE has donated over 500,000 backpacks through its "bag drop" events and nonprofit partnerships nationwide. And along the way, it became a cult favorite among parents, celebrities, and design enthusiasts who wanted gear that looked good and did good.[reference:2]