About
Great companies are often built on simple ideas. At Built, we started with a two-bottle wine tote. We took a basic product, used an unexpected material, neoprene, and designed a new shape. The results caught the eye. The customer was happy. We gave them an edgy means to transport wine that was colorful, protective, insulating and machine washable.
We fell in love with neoprene and found an abrasion-resistant neoprene typically used by coral reef divers. Its substantial 5mm thickness protects while not being bulky. From that we created our Over-Built line of products, extra durable for wine or laptops or totes, and super water-resistant too. Our products have the durability to protect and help transport, but then flatten down to nothing in your suitcase or bag.
From that first tote we aimed to create products that performed specific functions, and just happened to look great. At Built, we believe form and function can go hand in hand. Materials and processes are our inspiration and our goal is to make working objects that are loved. We love finding new uses for unexpected raw materials, metals, papers, synthetics, you name it. If we like a material and can think of a good use for it, then we think other people will like it too.
We may have started with wine and neoprene, but we soon moved to other passions our children, hence the baby line our personal electronic devices, hence the electronic line was born. We fell in love with brushed aluminum, a recycled paper and a special high density foam. From those we created a corkscrew, wastebasket and ice bucket. Our methodology was simple: make it strong, make it simple, price it low.
Based in New York City, Built offers an award winning line of more than 100 products ranging from totes for single bottles to six packs, to totes for lunch or meals on the go, and even totes for baby bottles and bibs.
Built's line of wine bottle totes hold patent and trademark registration for their distinctive design and configuration. In late 2006, the company branched into the electronic accessory market with the introduction of laptop sleeves and handheld electronic carriers.
Built products are sold in more than 30 countries and in more than 4,000 retail accounts from MoMa to REI. In 2005, the company was awarded a Gold in Business Week¹s annual Industrial Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) for its Lunch Tote and in 2004 for its Two-Bottle Wine Tote.
