STATE Bags

Who run the world? You guessed it...GIRLS!

At the risk of sounding like the guy you can't stand on The Bachelorette, it's safe to say that I've been surrounded by girls my entire life. To provide some background on how this has a deep rooted history in my family, my Grandpa Lou had a tradition that every time either my grandmother or his own three daughters were expecting babies, he'd make a bet with his best friend. If it was a girl, my Grandpa owed him a bottle of Crown Royal. If a boy, he'd owe my Grandpa one. 

3 daughters and then 3 granddaughters later added up to a lot of whiskey. And none to my Grandpa. Until me...the first boy. And then 2 more granddaughters after that, but all was ok because thanks to me, we were now proud owners of the coveted Crown! 

“Scot at his wedding with Grandpa Lou, cracking open the 31 year old bottle of Crown Royal”

My current home life surrounded by 3 girls then led to me entering an office of 7 more women. It just kind of happened...this female phenomenon crept into my professional life at STATE. 

So as we started planning out our early Spring campaigns and initiatives, it felt only right that we drive our messaging around tipping the cap to women who are breaking the glass ceiling, crushing it as Moms, and tapping into the #GirlPower movement rumbling amongst the female youth. 

It's been a fun few weeks. Whether it was featuring our mostly female squad for National Karaoke Week, 

watching budding female entrepreneurs sacrifice birthday gifts for STATE Do Goodie Bags, 

saluting Moms who are going above and beyond the call of duty, while honoring our own STATE Mama, 

and doing something we've been wanting to do for years, and finally did...carry out an all-female bag drop rally! 

Our PackMen morphed into PackWomen. The sea of students filling the auditorium cheered things like "GIRL POWER!" and "THE GIRLS PREP SISTERS LOOK GOOD, EVVVVVVRYDAY!" and of course, "WHO RUN THE WORLD? GIRLS!!!" 

We've done close to 40 total bag drop events across the country, and continue to believe that STATE has revolutionized the one for one model in how we actually deliver the donated bags through these motivational experiences. But, we truly made history last Friday at Girls Prep Charter School in partnership with the team at Twitter NYC. It was a dream come true, not just for Jacq and I, but our entire squad. 

It's always fun to pretend like I'm losing all my masculinity when listening to female artists like Taylor Swift or Beyoncé in the office, but the truth is, I feel right at home. Not only because being part of a mostly female pack is in my roots, but also that I've now been witness to just how insanely incredible a female driven company can be. 

And if girls are gonna run the world...I'm all in! 

When Instagram Becomes Insta-Give.

When our Ambassadors post about us, they’re sharing not only their style but where their heart lies. Because of them, we’ve been able to donate over 1,000 bags to charities across America... and counting!

Photographers. Influencers. STATE Ambassadors. Meet some of our Give Back Pack Men & Women! This is how they look good AND do good.

@gofitjo​ + the Leather Smith in Off-White

@samlarson + the Smith in Stone

@karim.mustafa + the Nevins in Olive

@tutes + the Kane in Pink/Lemon

@karen.lao + the Basket Weave Smith in Rose

@potatounit​ + the Union in Black

STATE’S Mother’s Day Surprise.

Everything But The Bag.

Don’t worry, we know what bag you’re going to want to get for mom. Everything from carry-all weekenders to the fashion bag she actually WANTS to carry. But what about the stuff you put inside it?

What are you getting your Mom for a #MOMSALUTE this year? We loved the quote above from our friend Alissa about the mothers in her life. If that doesn’t inspire you to go all out we don’t know what will. 

Our friends at Mini Mode recently wrote about what to get for your friend who’s a mom when you’re not a mom. Hollywood Life also gave us a shout out for the perfect last minute gift! Of course, we can’t go anywhere without our Honest hand sanitizer, Glossier balm and Poppin notebook.

#MOMSALUTE.

"My family is my gift and at the center of it is my mother. She taught me from a young age to be patient, confident and loving in all forms. She's been the source of my drive to find my true purpose in life, which led me to working with kids. I am honored to not only be her son but her legacy. Love you, Mom." -- Roger, Son, STATE PackMan

Let’s be honest. Moms deserve more than just a day. They need a whole week, if not a year. So while we love to celebrate our moms every day, this week we’re giving a special #MomSalute to the mom’s who are just too legit to quit.

Take a page out of our PackMan Rick’s book and share what makes your mom so great. Tweet at us, share on our Facebook page or tag us on Instagram: @statebags. You might get featured in a special #MomsDay blog!

Motivate Yourself.

We like to be ready for anything. A kid’s birthday party, a spin class, last-minute dinner shopping. Anything. But we’ll admit-- we can’t do it alone. Sometimes you need a little soundtrack to make you feel like you’re really accomplishing something, the way a person in an action movie would be accomplishing leaping out of burning buildings. Because everyone needs their own playlist to get them up and at ‘em.

And don’t worry: we’ve compiled every type of motivating playlist you might need right here.

Young & Free

Happy Hits

Best Day Ever

On Fleek

Twerk It

Hot Rhythmic 

#GiveBackPack Surprise.

Sweet Jacqy Z.

The STATE Bunch.

It’s #NationalKaraokeWeek and we feel like celebrating. “But how does the STATE Bunch get their karaoke on?” Glad you asked...

Bond. Packable Bond.

When Doves Cry... And Social Media Goes Nuts.

When news broke of Prince's passing yesterday, I immediately did four things.

1. Checked on my friend, Nick as he's been an enormous Prince fan since a weirdly young age. 2. Called my Mom as the memory of me coming home early from middle school to her power walking on the treadmill, blaring Prince (more specifically a song with the lyrics, "YOU SEXY MOTHER #$%*ER...") are forever etched in my mind. 3. Alerted our marketing and social media team to post about his death and find a cool shot of him for Instagram. 4. Felt guilty about not even digesting his passing before thinking about jumping on the social media rush. We're living in an interesting yet bizarre time. An era where a legend dies and floods of people instantly take to social media to collectively mourn, and businesses even try and find ways to most creatively do so. 

Our insanely talented graphic designers at Blackrose NYC posted this perfect image on their Instagram page and got over 10,000 views in just 2 hours.

When other music legends like David Bowie, Phife Dawg and Scott Weiland recently passed, I had similar, conflicting emotions. Are people using these moments disingenuously and even finding ways to capitalize on the sadness? That may be the case in some circumstances, but I've come to terms with the fact that the majority of activity is authentic, and if nothing else, provides a forum to properly celebrate that person's epic life.

When I was a kid and terrible news broke, we simply turned on the TV or radio, and just sat in disbelief.

Today, there tends to be a slow wave of online activity. The story breaks and people first post about it as matter of fact, shocking news. Then later that day, incredible things start surfacing socially. Yesterday, it was posts like this:

And then this: 

And of course this.

In no other time have we been able to acknowledge public figure's lives like we can today. The rare, never before seen videos resurface. Quotes, articles and newly leaked, behind the scenes photographs trickle out. Through all of this, people who may never have understood someone's significance to the world are then educated on it.

Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.

Launching fitness gear is something we’ve wanted to do for such a long time that we took a lot of time and care making our two new bags: The Lenox gym bag and the Franklin Duffel. Both of them include a zippered pocket for shoes, mesh compartments for dirty clothes and sleek exposed zippers. The Lenox even has a laptop sleeve, making a true work-to-gym bag that won’t cramp your office style.

We got the chance to hang out at SKY Health with some people who live and breathe fitness. It was awesome to see how the Lenox and Franklin totally meshed with their lifestyle and how they embraced it. It also helps that SKY has the most inspiring view ever. It makes for a totally gym-spirational shot.

Shine Bright.

We’ve been having a neon moment as of late. It’s #CoachellaSeason, warm weather (finally), just all around good things that make us want to run through parks and roll in the grass.

That’s what neon is all about. Fun and individual style that makes you stand out and shine on your own.

Dance, Dance.

On the weekends, we always like to hit you with a good playlist. For when you’re at the laundromat, taking an impromptu road trip, or just hanging out in a friend’s backyard, we know you like to jam.

So this time, we have a roundup on playlists for you. Stuff we listen to in the office to get us pumped up and excited. Sharing is caring, so crank these up.

Fresh Finds

Mood Booster

Acoustic Covers

Women of Rock

Swagger

Rap Caviar

Lush + Atmospheric

Indie Pop!

All Out 90s

Let Me Go Home.

After our spring cleaning spree, we’ve been able to take a step back and examine what we really want around us. According to The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, you should go through all the things that surround you every day and ask “Does this bring me joy?” If the answer is no, then you should throw it out. Drastic right? 

We’re attached to our stuff but asking “Does this bring me joy?” when sprucing up a room or even re-decorating it can be a valuable tool. We’ve picked out a few things that bring us joy and hope it inspires you to find the joy in your own surroundings.

Air plant terrarium from Bird and Feather Co.

Cracked amethyst druzy crystal from Crystal Cactus

Reclaimed wood desk from Urban Wood Goods

“Kali F1” framed print by Patricia Vargas

Gumball desk lamp in gold from Urban Outfitters

Multi Pixel Woven Rug from West Elm

GiveBackPackMan.

"I walked in these kids' shoes, I've worked through the struggles that they live with on the daily, and I speak their language. Having this platform to reach crowds of kids in similar neighborhoods and situations that I grew up in is why being a STATE PackMan means everything to me." - Coach Rick, STATE PackMan, Queens NY

At STATE, our bag drop rallies are at the heart of what we do. They’re led by our PackMen and PackWomen who are experienced child development specialists. Having successfully risen from at-risk neighborhoods themselves, they serve as role models and mentors who deliver a profound message.

Want a better look at what it takes to be a State PackMan? Check out some of our bag drop videos below!

Thank you, Nintendo!

This weekend we were stoked to check Snapchat and see Steve Aoki enjoying some swag from Nintendo... and his new Nevins bag!

Honestly, we’re jealous of this swag bag. Nintendo nailed it.