Luggage

today. Patterns, ingenious locking desert meets river canyons and systems and patents evolved and the Rocky Mountains. The brand in 1901 Georges Vuitton released that started life as a trademark for the Steamer Bag; today’s equivalent a tapered vulcanised fibre suitcase cabin luggage. Myriad iterations pedalled by luggage salesman Case study followed and the statement piece Jesse Shwayder is now registered Global travel is a relatively new phenomenon for mankind, still stands as one of the finest in Luxembourg and listed on the but from horse and cart to private jet, we know how to do it suitcases around the world. In Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The in style – largely thanks to the endeavour and prestige of celebration of its 100th anniversary, Schwayder family sold up in 1973 these sumptuous luggage brands the iconic brand asked six designers and the company passed hands to create original pieces to celebrate many times before Marcello Bottoli the iconic canvas: the Monogram. (former chief executive of Louis ool, wood, linen, for the personal use of oil Helmut Lang created a DJ Vinyl Vuitton) acquired for $250m in leather, metal, plastic, engineer and businessman Erle box, Sybilla designed a backpack 2005 to retrieve Samsonite from Wfibre composite, nylon, P. Halliburton in 1938. Nylon and with built-in umbrella, Romeo a long slump. Just two years polycarbonate, aluminium and wheels followed post World War II. Gigli; a pointed hiking bag with later finance investor CVC Capital recycled materials; luggage to fit With the global luggage market leather straps, Manolo Blahnik; Partners took over for $1.7b. Today the transportation. Cases once set to grow at a compound annual an oval-shaped shoe trunk, Isaac Samsonite is back at the top. The had to be tough to keep contents growth rate of 6.28% in the next Mizrahi; a weekend bag in vinyl and LITE-CUBE DLX is a favourable safe in covered wagons, but three years, Moët Louis leather, containing a Monogram offering at US$849 (€750). today functionality is a given and Vuitton (LVMH) and Samsonite canvas purse inside and Vivienne samsonite.com the focus is on fashion and International are among those Westwood; a ‘bustle’ bag. The often minimalism. leading the charge. centre-piece of LV’s Horizon RIMOWA As transportation evolved, soft Collection in collaboration with Marc Germany’s answer to sided suitcases manufactured LOUIS VUITTON Newson, a lightweight 4-wheeled was founded in Cologne in 1898. from polyester prevailed. Then the Since the days of chests and carry-on with a completely flat Originally Görtz & Morszeck, Paul original ‘Halliburton’ aluminium trunks, Louis Vuitton has an history interior thanks to its large external Morszeck’s Richard registered travel cases were handmade ingrained with luggage. Indeed, the cane, sells for $5,900 (€5,150) at the trademark RIMOWA at the trunk-master from France started louisvuitton.com. Reich Patent Office in Berlin. In a Right: Louis Vuitton is the out with a flat trunk that enabled twist of events, a fire devasted its grandfather and grandmother stacking, rather than the preferred SAMSONITE factory in the 1930s, leaving only of all things luggage rounded top trunk to allow rain to Founded in Colorado in 1910, aluminium so RIMOWA focused ➤ roll off. His 1858 cases were crafted Samsonite is synonymous with from grey Trianon canvas making the kind of durability required to them airtight and lightweight. survive life in a land where arid Almost two decades later he released a version with beige and brown stripes to avoid imitation before creating the Damier Canvas pattern, which bore the ‘marque L. Vuitton déposée’ that is so famous

January-March 2019 Upward Curve 21 Luggage

remains one of the world’s most prestigious brands; supported by regular customers Pharrel Williams, Bella Hadid and Gwyneth Paltrow. rimowa.com

DELSEY In 1946 Émile Delahaye and the Seynhaeve brothers joined forces. Établissements Delahaye, famous for creating cases for cameras, solely on producing metal cases. typewriters and record players, ahead), with an annual turnover itself, be easily located and locked Three years before World War II to create luggage for a changing of €130m and 400 staff. In early remotely. It also features a wireless broke out, the first suitcases with world. It was a time for rebuilding 2015, the company unveiled speaker and a phone charger. grooves were produced. Made and hope, and the French trio a prototype ‘smart suitcase’ Onboard detection, internal from duraluminium (an alloy of wanted to lead the way. As named Pluggage. It contains lighting, flight info, fingerprint ID aluminium and magnesium) the recently as 2010, it celebrated built-in electronic gadgets which and trip info are also available for parallel-grooved was used to second place in the global luggage communicate with a smartphone James Bond wannabes. stabilise the thin aluminium. Now market (with only Samsonite app so that the case can weigh delsey.com ■ this is the RIMOWA signature, protected as a trademark. Seventy years later the company was still not only relevant, but at the forefront of luggage technology, and at the turn of the millennium it introduced the first polycarbonate cases. In 2017 RIMOWA became LVMH’s first German Maison when the multinational conglomerate company acquired an 80% stake for €640m. Boasting partnerships with Lufthansa, Porsche, , Monocle and Supreme, RIMOWA

Top: Delsey Paris store in Hong Kong Above: Samsonite’s Lite-Cube DLX Above Right: Rimowa Right: Samsonite store in Mumbai, India

22 Upward Curve January-March 2019