Celebrating the women behind Wingback

In recognition of International Women's Day this week, and ahead of Mother's Day this weekend, we’re celebrating the brilliant female colleagues and collaborators that have shaped Wingback over the years.

Masha was one of Wingback’s first hires. Without her helping us fulfil early Kickstarter campaigns it’s likely Wingback wouldn’t exist today. If you have one of our wallets in your possession, chances are Masha was involved in hand stitching it together.

Last year we welcomed Megs aboard. Our driving force and operational compass, she keeps the Wingback ship afloat, and ensures Alasdair and Sam don’t steer it too far off course. Often, she’s also the first point of contact with our community and a large reason our customers continue to leave such glowing feedback.

Learn more about the team behind Wingback here.

In 2018 we were privileged to run a limited edition collaboration with two spellbinding illustrators, Kim Becker and Anoushka Irukandji. Kim, an experienced graphic designer from Germany, chose to convey the great saguaro cactus from recollections of road trips across America, in the leather of our Cash Wallet.

Australian-based artist Anoushka, on the other hand, drew inspiration from the ancient practice of henna. Both of them undoubtedly elevated our wallets from simple utilitarian tools into canvasses for their masterful creativity – and we can’t wait to collaborate with more skilled artists.

Have someone in mind? Drop a link to their work in the comments below.

See more of Kim's work here and Anoushka's work here.

Mary is the grandmother of Wingback founder Alasdair. An architect by profession, her work has had a formative influence on Wingback designs ever since Alasdair first discovered her sketchbooks as a child.

“When we visited my grandparents I wasn’t allowed in my grandfather's workshop so I’d spend time looking through grandma’s sketches,” Alasdair explains. “The details she imagined were so intricate and precise."

Alasdair remembers being taken past the first building she ever designed, a little house in Wellow, Somerset. "Being able to see what she had imagined, then drawn, then created was incredible.”

Mary’s influence continues to shape our designs, as you’ll see once we launch our next product later this spring. Sign up to our mailing list here so you don’t miss it.

We’re proud to celebrate the women that have shaped Wingback over the years, yet we know design and engineering are industries heavily dominated by men. The onus will be on businesses small and large to keep pushing for greater diversity and inclusion across the board.

"At Dyson, where I started out, we recognised the immense value of a diverse team of engineers and designers to help shape the company’s direction," Alasdair says, reflecting on his former role as Innovation Engineer at British tech company Dyson.

"It’s a principle I’ve carried through to Wingback. We’re a product of the broad ideas, opinions and experiences shared by our colleagues, collaborators and customers. We're also a work in progress,” adds Alasdair.

“As we grow, we will always strive to keep diversity and inclusion at the heart of what we do."