Traveling in Style

Luggage and travel accessories partnerships have been a beneficiary of the travel industry recovery that has been ongoing since 2022. After a near-halt in new licensing and collaboration deals during the pandemic lockdowns, the category has become very active once again. Here are some of the deals, involving a variety of property types, that have come to light in the last year: 

  • This month, Williams Sonoma-owned brand Mark & Graham, which specializes in monogrammed apparel, home, and gift products, partnered with Jennifer Lake, a Chicago-based travel and lifestyle influencer who writes the Style Charade blog, for a holiday 2024 luggage collection. The checked and carry-on bags feature organizing pouches, brass accents, striped linings, and scalloped leather design elements, and come in multiple colors. Also part of the assortment are accessories like a set of six packing cubes, pajamas, travel totes, luggage tags, passport covers, and small jewelry cases.  
  • Béis, the luggage brand founded by actress Shay Mitchell, paired with Universal this month for a limited-edition Wicked collection in anticipation of next month’s movie release. The range includes three roller bags (two check-in and one carry-on), a backpack, weekender bag, tote, and toiletry kit. The roller bags are versions of classic Béis offerings, while the others are exclusive designs for this collection. Béis’ pieces are typically offered in neutral tones, but the items in this collaboration are available in Elphaba green, Glinda pink, or black. 
  • Canadian brand Monos Travel Gear announced in September that it was collaborating with Julie Sariñana, a fashion and lifestyle influencer based in L.A., who goes by the name Sincerely Jules and has 8 million followers on Instagram. The collection of limited-edition suitcases and travel essentials integrates the colors of the Southwestern desert, led by pale cactus green and adobe, and is made with extra-sturdy materials. The assortment includes a version of Monos’ vegan leather Metro Tote, a crossbody bag, packing cubes, and a toiletry case. The design reflects the influencer’s sense of adventure and her Mexican heritage.  
  • Stoney Clover Lane debuted a luxury travel accessories collaboration with the Beverly Hills Hotel in July. The California-chic collection included oversized tote bags, mini pouches, duffle bags, weekender bags, cross-body bags, and vanity kits in pink, green, striped, and Martinique green banana leaf-patterned versions, all inspired by the hotel’s décor. Some of the pieces can be customized with unique patches—a design element associated with Stoney Clover Lane—or monograms. 
  • Away partnered with direct-to-consumer fashion label La Ligne for a summer travel collection revealed in June. The limited-edition, 20-piece capsule consisted of 10 suitcases and travel accessories and 10 apparel items. Stripes—something for which La Ligne is known—was a key component of the nautical-inspired design theme. Travel pieces included carry-ons, packing cubes, zip pouches, sunglasses pouches, luggage tags, and charms, in colorways of orange and black and white. 
  • American Tourister and Perfetti Van Melle introduced their Chupa Chups travel collection in March 2024. The assortment, which had a “Live the Flavor” theme, was designed to be fun and playful, incorporating streetwear influences and candy colors. The collection encompassed spinners, weekender bags, backpacks, and accessories and was sold in China, Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and other Asian territories. 
  • Samsonite paired with Maison Kitsuné—a French lifestyle brand that encompasses fashion, a chain of cafés and restaurants, an art gallery, and a record label and fuses French and Japanese cultures—in November 2023. The collection consisted of six styles of luggage and lifestyle bags, including a spinner for longer trips, a rolling tote, two styles of backpack, and crossbody and sling bags. Each came in black or white versions of Maison Kitsuné’s signature camo fox print. The bags were marketed with the tagline “Carry Your Wanderlust.”

Organizations such as the Global Business Travel Association and the U.S. Travel Association have found through their research that the travel industry overall has rebounded to pre-pandemic (2019) levels, although there are variations from sector to sector within the industry.  

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