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Andrew Bryden
Co-founder & Head of Design
"I was born and raised on the West Coast of BC where I learned to ski, mountain bike, and moto. I traded a pair of skis for my first bike, an SP250 Enduro."
I was born and raised on the West Coast of BC where I learned to ski, mountain bike, and moto. I traded a pair of skis for my first bike, an SP250 Enduro. I loved long, solo explorations on the logging and mining roads north of Vancouver. Jeans, ski gloves, and hiking boots were my riding kit. I knew nothing about the sport of riding, and none of my friends had bikes, but I was hooked for life.
After high school I went to art college, and from there to a two year apprenticeship with a stone sculptor/designer in France. At 19, being free in Paris with a cash job and a bachelor pad was a very formative experience. As sculptors, we completed large installations all over France. We traveled to Spain and the stone quarries in Northern Italy. We even installed a large sculpture in a Saudi Arabian palace. In my free time between projects, I hitchhiked all over Europe. During this period, while living in France, I realized I was drawn more to product design than sculpture. For me, designing is like inventing: I enjoy creating functional items that people actually use.
When my apprenticeship in France was complete I enrolled at Emily Carr Institute in Vancouver, earning a degree in Industrial Design. Since then, working for companies like Burton Snowboards, Gravis, and Mountain Equipment Co-op, I've created many different kinds of action sports equipment, with a particular focus on soft goods. Most recently I spent 9 years as the lead pack/bag designer at Dakine, a soft good company based in the Columbia River Gorge. Designing products for 'peak' experiences like backcountry skiing, mountain biking, and moto really excites me.