Alite Designs

Alite Designs was founded by Tae Kim. He grew up in Alaska, and we think the prolonged periods of long days and longer nights may have loosened a few screws in his skull. As a young man, when Tae wasn't trying to win a date with one of the only three females living in Alaska, he was following his crazy Alaskan uncle on expeditions into the wilderne... ss. (Think Grizzly Man with a twist of Mr. Rogers, and you have an idea of Tae's uncle.) These education trips into nature were the genesis of his love for the outdoors. In order to encourage this same passion in others, Tae started designing for the outdoor market. He spent eight years as design director for The North Face before starting Alite Designs. The idea behind Alite is to encourage easy outdoor activity that doesn't require a passport, all-weather apparel, and sharp metal objects for scaling death-defying gradients. If the outdoor activity proves more difficult than finding a beach, setting up a chair, and popping the top on a longneck, then Alite generally steers clear. As creative director, Tae conceives and oversees all product design for Alite. Though Alite has only been producing products for five years, you can already observe the influence of Tae Kim's designs in the outdoor market through the proliferation of walk-around sleeping bags to ultra lightweight, collapsible furniture. Tae Kim is also founder and creative director for Boreas Gear, an adventure backpack and gear company also based in San Francisco.Read More