Heirloom - 2014

The Heirloom is a versatile alternative to the tripod in the shape of a tomato made from a single piece of red Cordura, camera mount in the green stem and filled with beans. I launched it on Kickstarter in the summer of 2014. You know, tomato season.

The product aims to compete with mini tripods, which tend to be fiddly to use, and offer additional functionality by molding to odd surfaces (trees, rocks, etc) where traditional tripods are difficult to set up.

The form took on visual characteristics of a tomato after going through several iterations of custom-made camera mounts. I needed an affordance that screamed, “Turn me!”, and after taking inspiration from water faucets, the idea of a big tomato stem atop a red body began to take shape.

Though not as successful in dollars as I hoped it would be, the Heirloom remains one of my favorite projects which received great press and was chosen as a Staff Pick. All in one shot I learned 3D printing, textiles, Final Cut Pro, and setting up a supply chain.