Matsuda x Carryology | UNICORN HUNTER (CAS03)

The second installment of our Carryology Artist Series and the second official collaboration with our insanely talented friend, Dan Matsuda. 

In this project, we wanted to create a patch that was not only a work of art but something that represented our carry community and culture. And something that played with nostalgia and the imagination. 

And so we dreamed up our very own character to do just that… meet the Unicorn Hunter. 

< ORDER MATSUDA X CARRYOLOGY CAS03 HERE >

Matsuda x Carryology
Carryology Artist Series:
CAS03: UNICORN HUNTER

Unicorn Hunter Concept

In carrying culture, we're always searching for that 'Unicorn.' That perfect seemingly unobtainable piece to add to our collection. 

A search that Carryologists know too well. All the highs and all the lows, and all the efforts one puts into the pursuit of capturing it. Sometimes it takes weeks. Sometimes it takes years. But the excitement is really in the hunt itself. 

This patch can represent any piece of gear, any mission, any goal. It’s up to you to decide what your unicorn is. Attach this patch to your pack and let it bring you luck on your hunt. 

Inspiration

We pitched the concept to Dan and let him run wild. We threw him nostalgic references for world building inspiration… surely a few of you out there will love some of these classics that we pitched. He-Man and She-Ra, Genesis Survivor Gaiarth, Princess Mononoke, Starchaser The Legend of Orin, and several others.

And a two paragraph brief: 

In this world, unicorns are the most rare creature. They've nearly been extinct because they've been poached for their horns, but our character tracks them in the wild, befriends them and leads them safely to sanctuary.

His tools are not for killing, but catching the unicorns, unharmed.

Construction

After a few concept revisions with the mysterious Unicorn Hunter character, his gear, and the posing/stance, Dan had it dialed in perfectly. But we weren’t there yet. Due to the incredible amount of detail in the illustration… we’d have to make the patch huge (like 5″+) or find a way to capture the detail with a high-thread stitch count. 

Our man Greg Li from Suburban stepped in and assured us he could crush it. While it did take about 3 different attempts, each one increasing the thread count (as well as the machine time), we finally landed on a detailed threaded patch that captured the vision and detail of Dan’s illustration. For those of you who dig technical specs, this 12-head Barudan embroidery machine ran at 850 spm (stitches per minute), with 32,000+ total individual stitches on every single patch.

It’s officially here…

Matsuda x Carryology
Carryology Artist Series:
CAS03: UNICORN HUNTER

Specifications:

4.25″ Height
3.25″ Width
32,000+ stitch count
Velcro-backed

Limit: 2 per person/order.

< ORDER MATSUDA X CARRYOLOGY CAS03 HERE >

Sold exclusively through a partnership with our friends at Suburban.

FREE Worldwide Shipping to the following countries:

North America: Canada, USA
Oceania: Australia
Asia: Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines
Europe: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UK

Shipping to other countries is totally possible, but will require a shipping fee (calculated based on your location).

Check out our first collab with Mr. Matsuda (”FALL” CAS01 and ”RISE” CAS02) found here. And of course, an interview we did with the man himself from back in 2020.