The metamorphosis is complete: Polaroid Originals becomes Polaroid again. What began as a rescue mission is now coming to a true happy ending.
From Polaroid to Impossible Project to Polaroid Originals to Polaroid
On 26.03.2020 it was official: the brand name Polaroid is back. What started with the Impossible Project is now finished – the rescue of the Polaroid brand. But one after the other.
2008 seemed to be the end of an era. In the face of increasing competition from digital cameras, Polaroid stopped producing Polaroid films. Actually the end of the legendary instant cameras, if it hadn’t been for three enthusiasts who didn’t want to accept it.
The Impossible Project
It was at the closing event of the Polaroid factory when Florian Kaps, André Bosman and Marwan Saba made a decision. These three gentlemen did not want to accept the end of the instant film without a whimper. And so they founded the Impossible Project. In October 2008 they bought the production machines from Polaroid for 3.1 million dollars and built a new factory in Enschede, Netherlands. The future supply of Polaroid films was secured. What began as a salvation of the film production became a remarkable company that soon produced its own cameras like the Impossible I-1 or later the Onestep + and the Onestep 2.
Polaroid Originals
Almost ten years after the foundation, the next mile stone followed. The Impossible Projects major shareholder acquired the rights to the Polaroid brand and intellectual property. In September 2017, The Impossible Project officially became Polaroid Originals. The logo and name of the company were now almost the same.
2020: the year of rebirth of Polaroid
Then, on March 26, 2020, in the middle of the corona crisis, the surprising announcement. Polaroid Originals will become Polaroid again. The twelve-year “rescue” of the probably most legendary instant camera brand comes to a good end. And that’s not all: to celebrate the occasion, Polaroid announces a new camera. The Polaroid Now is thus the first “real” Polaroid since the official end of the brand. More about the Polaroid Now here!
Good things come to those who wait
Who knows what would have happened to the Polaroid brand if the Impossible Project hadn’t shown passion for classic instant photography in a difficult time. Meanwhile it is clear that this way of photography will survive the digital age. And what would instant photography be without the brand that started it all: Polaroid.