General Information

Serial #

N/A

Part Number

6

Total Parts

8

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

Leather (possible) exterior with a fibre lining and a synthetic clip

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

20.2 cm

Width

9.5 cm

Height

2.8 cm

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Domestic Technology

Category

N/A

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

Unknown

Country

Unknown

State/Province

Unknown

City

Unknown

Context

Country

Unknown

State/Province

Unknown

Period

Never Used

Canada

Crowdfunding – the use of a platform allowing many contributors access to information about and the means to finance a new product - is a popular to market and finance a new product. While the concept is not new, it gained new life with increased access to the internet and the development of web campaigns which allowed for global marketing and contributions. Web-enabled crowdfunding began in 1997 with the single campaign to finance the production of a music album by the band Marillion. The band received $60,000USD towards the album and their campaign was used as the basis for the first modern crowdfunding web platform AtsistShare (www.artsistshare.com) in 2003. While this first platform was strictly aimed at the development of music and art, the concept gained appeal and was followed by less specialist sites such as IndieGoGo (2008) and Kickstarter (2009). As of 2017 (time of writing), crowdfunding web platforms deal with multiple billions of dollars annually – connecting the investor directly with the producer. Between the launch of the Kickstarter platformer in 2009 and October 2015, the site has hosted 265,000 individual campaigns, of which 36% (95,200) successfully met their financial goals. The North Aware SmartParka campaign was launched on January 26, 2016 with a backing goal of $30, 000CAD to finance the final design and manufacture of the coat. The SmartParka was launched on the Kickstarter campaign and traded investor incentives (access to the coat below market value) for different levels of financing. The Kickstarter platform works on an “all or nothing model” wherein investors are not charged their pledged amount unless the campaign receives the initial backing goal during the time allotted for the campaign. By the end of the day on January 27, 2017 (two days after launch), North Aware had received its initial backing goal and now moved into Stretch Goals – new goals related to new backing targets. By the end of the first eight days, North Aware had raised $100,000 CAD in backing for their product. The first announced Stretch Goal of $500,000 CAD was reached by February 23, 2016, the second at $750,000 CAD reached by February 29, 2017, and the third of $1,000,000 CAD on March 4, 2016. The campaign later announced, to existing backers only, a fourth Stretch Goal of $2,000,000CAD which was reached on March 16, 2016. By the close of the campaign, March 25, 2016, North Aware raised $3,257,695 CAD from 8,805 individual backers. By reaching the $3 million CAD threshold the North Aware SmartParka became the “#1 most funded campaign in Canadian funds of all time in all categories” on the Kickstarter platform. Unique to the web-enabled crowdfunding approach is the two way communication between investors and manufacturers. Manufacturers are encouraged to discuss the development process and address issues in a public forum (online) through project updates. Investors are equally encouraged to engage in that discussion and spread the word about the product within their online social circles (serving as brand ambassadors). This dialogue can also create challenges if the manufacture needs to changes something in the manufacturing process which may go against early stated goals (fair trade, made in X, real fur, delays in manufacturing, etc.) resulting in very public discussions about the direction of the company/product. North Aware was not immune to these challenges and needed to inform their investors that the coat’s lining was to be made of a synthetic material rather than duck down, faux-fur was to replace real fur (an ethical decision on the part of the manufacturer), production was to take place in China rather than Canada as initially intended. While these changes meant that the product produced was not exactly the one that was promised, North Aware continued with the production intent on filling the campaign incentives. However, with all of these changes, North Aware was plagued by production delays resulting in a very public attack on the company and on the campaign. This was further compounded by the fact that many of the investors, upon receiving the SmartParka found the materials and finishes to be substandard and the returns/customer service group at North Aware to be unhelpful and rude. The Better Business Bureau (2017) has 28 registered reviews for North Aware from which 24 are customer complaints, giving the company a rating of “F”. (From the Worksheet, see Ref. 1)

Function

Worn to keeps hands warm during cold weather and can attach via clips to a parka.

Technical

The SmartParka was built in response to the near ubiquitous penetration of portable technology in the daily lives of Canadians. Marketed as “The World’s First Complete Coat” it is designed specifically to create intuitive storage for commonly used “smart” devices. The coat was built with pockets for earbuds, glasses, an RFID Tracking device, a smart phone, and a tablet. It also incorporates special pockets for a matching tuque and gloves. The gloves are specifically made so that the wearer can use their touch screen enabled devices without taking off the gloves. (From the Worksheet, see Ref. 1)

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

On the tag inside: "S/M/ LADY/ MADE IN/ PAKISTAN"

Missing

Appears complete

Finish

All black exterior as well as interior lining and a black tag inside with white markings.

Decoration

N/A