Eastpak's Film Is a Canvas for Self-Expression

In recent years, UK agency Mutant has reinterpreted Eastpak's iconic 'Built to Resist' slogan. They've resisted the elements on Mars and conformity with the help of cosplayers.

This year, the campaign goes back to Eastpak’s roots, tapping into something generations have done with their backpacks for decades: personalisation.

In ‘Your canvas, built to resist’, Mutant starts from the literal blank canvas that an Eastpak backpack represents. It’s the starting point for self-expression, especially for many teenagers experimenting with their style and the image they want to project to the world.

And it always has been, since Eastpak’s very beginning. That’s why, for the launch film, Mutant travelled back in time, giving voice to different headstrong generations to talk about the role creativity and self-expression have played in their lives.

Rather than a slick, technical packshot, the products are crammed, crushed, and stretched within tight frames. The result? Larger-than-life icons that resist the out-of home medium and, quite literally, serve as canvases for self-expression.

​Jesse Van Gysel, CD at Mutant said, “Customisation is in Eastpak’s DNA. As teenagers, we’d turn the Eastpak logo into ‘Lastpak’ and start customising with Tipp-Ex. What’s beautiful is that my parents’ generation did the same, and now my niece does too. By tapping into such a universal, authentic behaviour, we’re not just giving Eastpak products a platform, but more importantly, spotlighting all the people who turn them into one-of-a-kind pieces.”

The film was created in collaboration with director Milo Blake and production company Being.

See more work from Milo Blake here.