Client Overview:
Zig-Zag is a heritage rolling paper brand with over a century of cultural recognition. As the brand expanded into lifestyle accessories, it sought to introduce a premium object that honored its legacy while aligning with modern design culture.
Objective:
The objective was to design and deliver a premium joint holder that reinterprets Zig-Zag’s heritage through a sleek, minimal industrial lens. The product needed to elevate beyond traditional smoke accessories, support strong retail margins, and remain feasible within defined MOQ and budget constraints.
Challenges:
Translating a 100+ year-old brand identity into a modern industrial form
Honoring heritage without relying on dated or overly literal cues
Engineering a full aluminum CNC construction within strict cost parameters
Integrating a functional carabiner loop without disrupting silhouette purity
Staying within client MOQ and production budget
Protecting margin structure while maintaining premium material quality
Design Process:
The project began with a focused moodboard and strategic alignment phase, defining a direction rooted in industrial minimalism and modern lifestyle positioning. Once aligned, the Doob Tube was fully 3D designed in-house from the ground up, with careful attention to proportion, threading, structural integrity, and CNC efficiency.
Multiple prototype rounds refined durability, closure feel, loop strength, and surface finish. Each iteration balanced aesthetics, functionality, manufacturability, and cost performance.
Foundry Labs managed the entire lifecycle, including supplier sourcing, CNC production oversight, quality control, packaging development, and international logistics. The project moved from concept to a full production batch landed in the U.S. in approximately six months, while maintaining cost discipline to support healthy retail margins.
Outcome:
The result is a sleek, fully aluminum CNC joint holder with an integrated carabiner loop, positioned as a luxury lifestyle object rather than a novelty accessory. The product bridges Zig-Zag’s heritage credibility with contemporary industrial design, appealing to cannabis and tobacco enthusiasts who value elevated, design-forward goods.
Key Achievements:
Completed end-to-end product realization in ~6 months
Designed and engineered entirely in-house
Managed full manufacturing, packaging, and logistics pipeline
Delivered within MOQ and budget constraints
Structured cost model to support healthy retail margins
Elevated Zig-Zag’s positioning within premium lifestyle goods
Successfully landed full production batch in the United States
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