Charity “Swags” Wins International Design Award
17 March 2011 at 2:45 pm
“Swags for Homeless” is the first Australian organisation, and the first charity, to win the international Red Dot "Best of the Best" Design Award for its ‘Backpack Bed’.
Some 4433 products from 60 countries competed in these awards.
The Red Dot awards began in 1955 and are described as the world’s largest, most distinguished product design competition. Past ‘Best of the Best’ recipients include Apple Inc., BMW Group, Nokia and Samsonite.
In Germany, Red Dot’s international panel of design experts bestowed the Swags for Homeless ‘Backpack Bed’ the ‘Red Dot: Best of the Best’ Product Design Award for Leisure, Outdoor & Sport. ‘
The Backpack Bed was initially designed to save the lives of street sleeping homeless people who were turned away from shelters — and now it has revolutionised single person camping. With a fire retardant mattress built-in, the fully functioning backpack converts into a fire retardant all weather, full body, mosquito protected bed.
Professor Dr. Peter Zec, the initiator of the Red Dot design award says design quality has asserted itself clearly in the judging process, with genuine and new creative solutions also being rewarded.
Swags for Homeless, is a Not for Profit organisation and partners with over 100 homeless agencies across Australia – leading to international aid requests from countries including the USA and China.
In the last year, 3,000 homeless Backpack Beds were made. Tony Clark, Founder and Chairman of Swags for Homeless, says he is hoping to exceed 20,000 Emergency Relief Backpack Beds in the next year, only if government funding is achieved to meet the emergency demand from homeless charities.
The Backpack Bed will be displayed at The Red Dot design museum, the largest, global exhibition of contemporary design. It will also be displayed in a high-profile location during a four week special exhibition, during July 2011, called “Design on Stage – Winners Red Dot Award: Product Design 2011”.
Queensland and NSW Floods Swag Appeal – Click here.
