Hamilton Perkins Collection

Hamilton Perkins Collection is a consumer products company that designs and sells bags, everyday carry accessories and apparel made from reclaimed and recycled materials, and that works more broadly on converting waste streams into usable material inputs. Its original and signature products are travel bags whose outer canvas is made from recycled plastic bottles and whose linings use vinyl reclaimed from old billboards, producing pieces that vary from unit to unit. The founding product was a convertible bag that functions as both a duffel and a backpack, with a three-way zipper and stowable straps.

The current catalogue spans roughly 23 items, including the Earth Fanny Pack, Earth Bag, Earth Duffel, Earth Hobo, Earth Wallet Travel and upcycled billboard-bag variants, plus an apparel line of t-shirts, v-necks and sweatshirts made from reclaimed textiles and recycled fibers. The company also markets an "HPC Archive" of numbered limited editions built from reclaimed materials and an HPC Research Book available for pre-order. Beyond finished goods, the company describes itself as transforming complex waste streams into material inputs intended for use in future products, packaging and manufacturing, and it publishes a blog covering its materials and processes.

Founding story

In 2014, while earning an MBA at William and Mary and preparing for global immersion trips to Hong Kong, Shanghai, Madrid and Athens with classmates, Hamilton Perkins found the available carry-on bags either flimsy, impractical or too mainstream, and decided to design his own. He set out to build a for-profit organization driven by social progress, surveying friends, family and prospects and identifying a gap between ubiquitous bags priced under $100 and high-end luxury luggage.

Business model

The company sells physical goods directly to consumers through its own e-commerce store, offering bags, everyday carry accessories and apparel produced in limited quantities from reclaimed and recycled inputs, with prices reaching $225 for carry goods and $155 for apparel. Alongside product sales it positions itself as a converter of complex waste streams into material inputs for products, packaging and manufacturing, and invites inquiries on recycled content, waste stream utilization and circular materials. Distribution has historically extended beyond direct online sales to department store channels, including trunk shows at Bloomingdale's, and the catalogue has expanded to include a research book offered for pre-order.

Revenue comes from direct sales of physical products — bags, accessories and apparel — through the company's online store and retail channels, supplemented by pre-orders such as the HPC Research Book. Keywords associated with the company also cite corporate gifting and custom merchandise.

Traction

The initial Kickstarter campaign raised $14,329 from about 100 backers, exceeding its $10,000 goal within a week and funding a first production run of 1,000 bags. The founder had previously invested more than $25,000 of personal savings in what was then a one-person company. The catalogue has since grown to roughly 23 listed products across bags, accessories and apparel, of which 19 were in stock at the time of review, and the brand has been featured in national press and placed in department stores.

Latest developments

The store currently lists an HPC Archive of numbered editions built from reclaimed materials and an HPC Research Book available for pre-order, alongside expanded apparel and upcycled billboard bag lines. A market-data aggregator reports a $100,000 grant round recorded on February 12, 2026, cumulative funding of $287,872, a headcount of three, and monthly site visitors of about 2,000 as of July 2026, listing investors including Better Ventures, Techstars, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Village Capital, Black Ambition, Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator and Community Business Launch.