A day in the life of Trakke founder, Alec Farmer

We sit down with Alec Farmer, founder and designer at Trakke, and talk start-ups, trapeze and shipping forecasts.

I wake up...
at 7am, but I’m a big fan of the snooze button. I don’t function well without coffee so my girlfriend leaves a cup on the bedside table to encourage me to get going. We live by the Botanics in Glasgow and it’s only a 10 minute drive to our workshop in Finnieston. I drive an old Land Rover that’s constantly breaking down, but that adds to the adventure.

When work starts...
First things first, more coffee. Then I check emails, balance the books and see how we’re progressing in the workshop. We manufacture all of our bags in-house and it’s a complex process, so we have to keep an eye on it. I’m lucky to have a fantastic team around me though. There’s only six of us so we’re very tight - like a family.

My role...
I’m the boss, I’m the designer, I’m the head of the marketing department, I’m the finance director. One day I’ll be speaking at an event, the next I’ll be sketching out a new range of products and then I’ll be thinking up campaigns to share online. It keeps me on my toes.

It all began...
as a bit of a side-project when I was at uni. When I graduated, I figured it was the perfect time to commit. Starting a business can be risky, but I was broke and didn’t have anything to lose so I threw in my all and I’ve never looked back.

The best part...
I love seeing our bags out in the wild. We’ve sent bags out to America, Asia, Russia, Africa, even Antarctica. There’s nothing better than receiving photos from a customer having a great adventure on the other side of the world.

And the worst part...
is that when you do what you love, it can be hard to switch off. Life is all about balance, but sometimes, finding it is tricky.

After hours...
I try and head down to the Arlington baths as much as I can during the week. I’m addicted to the trapeze there. But on a Friday, I’ll leave the office and head straight for the hills for a bit of wild-camping or a couple of nights in a bothy.

Lights out...
Normally I’m in bed by midnight. I’ll watch some TV or read a book beforehand, but I like to listen to Radio 4 as I drift off. I love the shipping forecast.

In 10 years...
I’d love to be sailing a yacht around the Mediterranean, but I think I’d get bored after a while. If I was right here, still doing what I love, I’d be a happy man.

See the full collection of Trakke bags at trakke.co.uk