JanSport Bags, JanSport Backpacks in the UK.
If ever there was an odd story of how a brand came to be, it has to be from JanSport. Established in the late 60's, founding partner Murray Pletz used his winnings from a design competition to set up his own company making backpacks with his cousin, Skip Yowell. On discovering that neither one of them could sew, Pletz convinced his girlfriend, Jan Lewis, to join the company. In return, he promised to not only marry her, but name the company after her too!
Sadly the marriage died and Pletz jumped ship but JanSport lived on with the remaining two founders staying on and developing some of the most groundbreaking designs that are relied upon by travellers throughout the world today.