As luxury brands have struggled with muted fashion sales over the last two years, one category has quietly kept rolling: luggage. Since the post-pandemic travel boom, weekenders, carry-ons and suitcases — once functional purchases — have become an extension of personal style for a broad range of consumers.
Legacy luxury players like Rimowa and Tumi continue to dominate the top end of the market. But as more brands pile into the lower end, competition is heating up. Even phone case brand Casetify has entered the market, with suitcases retailing at around $300. In the middle, brands with a premium price point and positioning are winning market share with clever innovations and elevated design.
The global luggage market grew 4.5% to $19 billion in 2024, driven by consumers’ increasing appreciation for experiences and travel post-pandemic, says Marguerite LeRolland, head of footwear and apparel at Euromonitor. “Like handbags, premium and luxury luggage has become an extension of the traveler’s style and is now a marker of status, wealth and identity. Hence a number of established brands are expanding into the space, and new players are entering it.”
Luggage and travel accessories have been “thriving” at retail, says Debbi Hartley-Triesch, executive VP and general merchandise manager of beauty, accessories and home at Nordstrom. “We are pleased with the trajectory over the past few years. We have expanded our selection of luggage to offer a broader range. Several years ago, we focused on traditional luggage with business travel in mind. Over the last few years, we have evolved our selection to meet customer needs. Luggage has become an extension of our customers’ fashion wardrobes and a reflection of their personal style.”
Many newer labels seem to be inspired by legacy players like 50-year-old label Tumi — acquired by Samsonite in 2016 — which has 1,700 retail touchpoints globally and high-profile ambassadors like F1 driver Lando Norris. Or German luggage label Rimowa — acquired by LVMH in 2016 — which was always a frontrunner when it came to design and innovation, introducing its popular four-wheel metal suitcase in 1996.
In 2017, LVMH placed group scion Alexandre Arnault at the helm of Rimowa. The young executive improved the brand’s cultural credibility, brokering collaborations with streetwear labels like Off-White and Supreme, and re-establishing luggage as a status item. Since 2021, current Rimowa CEO Hugues Bonnet-Masimbert has furthered this strategy. LVMH doesn’t break out revenues, but the label continues its “excellent momentum”, per the group’s fiscal 2024 earnings.
Samsonite doesn’t break out Tumi revenues, but SVP of marketing and e-commerce Jill Krizelman confirmed the brand “continues to grow and scale”.
With an average price of more than $1,000 for a check-in suitcase, Rimowa and Tumi are targeting a subset of high-income consumers. But over the past few years, players in the premium segment have emerged, to capitalize on growing demand for stylish luggage across the board.
The premium sweet spot
Premium luggage label Carl Friedrik launched as a leather goods/accessories brand in 2013. Since introducing its dark polycarbonate and leather luggage line in 2019, however, Carl Friedrik has experienced consistent 50% to 65% annual growth, says co-founder Niklas Oppermann. A Carl Friedrik case currently retails for around $800. The brand has gradually increased its price point over recent years, in line with rising costs as it improved the durability and quality of the cases. The brand has now found a sweet spot in the premium category where there’s less competition, Oppermann says.
“Going full luxury would be very difficult for a small brand like ours,” Oppermann says. “Tumi and Rimowa are the luxury market leaders, they’re both priced significantly higher than us. These are the guys you look up to. But, on the other hand, I think we’ve done really well in separating ourselves from the lower end of the market. I’m very happy that we are not in the $300 suitcase category, because there is a lot of competition there, and a lot of new brands.”
Elevation is the ambition for more affordable luggage label Monos. Founded in 2018 by childhood friends Victor Tam, Hubert Chan and Daniel Shin, the Canadian label launched its minimalist, high-tech luggage in 2019, and in the eight months before Covid lockdowns, it made $1 million. The brand declined to disclose revenues, but said it is profitable and growing, with plans to open four stores in the US next year. “We wanted to create something that was timeless in design that could stand up to the quality of a Rimowa, with an accessible price point,” Tam says. Right now, cases retail for around $400. But following a similar playbook to Carl Friedrik, the goal is to move upmarket as it innovates and improves its design over time. “A lot of new brands have come forward that are slightly cheaper than us. We’re not in the business of undercutting. We want to continue to move upmarket, not to the point of the heritage brands, but there are opportunities to use materials that cost more.”
Problem-solving design
Luggage label Béis was founded by actor Shay Mitchell in 2018. Unlike many leading luggage brands, it focused more readily on women’s style than men’s business travel. It’s also positioned at the lower end of the premium scale, with suitcases retailing for around $400. “Shay saw this tremendous market opportunity of bringing some fashion function and accessibility to a category that was highly utilitarian at the time,” says Béis CEO Adeela Hussain Johnson. “Before, luggage appealed to a business-focused consumer. She thought, why compromise on fashion in order to get function?”
Béis is focusing on problem-solving, which resonates with consumers today, says Nordstrom’s Hartley-Triesch. For example, its cases have cushioned handles, so it doesn’t hurt when pulling a heavy load; there’s an in-built weighing scale on some models, to avoid being overweight at bag drop; and a pocket for your wet swimsuit if you take “one last swim”. It’s about solving real problems rather than fancy gimmicks, Hussain Johnson flags. “I don’t need a Swiss pocket for a Swiss army knife, we need smart functions and features that are affordable.”
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It can also be about subtle details, says Monos’s Tam. Monos has created roller handles at 45 degrees to reduce rickety movement and has added bearings inside its wheels so they roll better on carpet. But it’s also introduced aesthetic finishes to set itself apart. “To line our aluminium suitcase, for example, we built a quilted finish on one side that almost mimics the interior of a Rolls-Royce,” Tam says. “It’s these delightful details on top of function that really elevate the experience.”
These touches and solutions are crucial to cut through at the $400 price point. “It’s a very interesting time in the luggage space right now. And I’m sure if you’re speaking to others in the industry, you’re hearing the kind of volatility that this category is going through,” Hussain Johnson says. “After the Covid boom in luggage, so many brands entered the market, and it became a little saturated. But I think what you are seeing from consumers, and rightfully so, is a demand to have that function. They don’t want to compromise, and they want more and more features that address their changing needs.”
Regardless of price point, durability is the core tenet of any luggage purchase today, experts agree. “We ensure rigorous testing when selecting luggage partners to offer the best quality to our customers. We aim to meet the needs of different customers by offering a range of brands, from Béis and Away to Tumi and Rimowa,” Hartley-Triesch says. For brands in the premium segment, durability is paramount, but it can be costly to ensure.
Brands like Rimowa and Carl Friedrik offer lifetime guarantees to underline this positioning. The latter even posts Instagram videos of its rigorous testing process, including suitcases being compressed by a machine, handles being “jerk tested” and wheels being dragged at speed around an obstacle course. “We offer a lifetime warranty. It would be very bad for our company if we had a lower quality product and did that,” Oppermann says. “So we track everything.” Every year, Carl Friedrik releases new iterations of its luggage, sometimes with just incremental updates to materials or structure to keep improving durability as it uncovers fresh techniques, he adds.
Versatility is crucial
To keep scaling luggage labels, alongside innovation, the key is building out a suite of products with versatile uses that can be mixed and matched to create a full set of luggage and bags, founders agree. Whether it’s a work bag that doubles as hand luggage and can be attached to a roller case, or a carry-on case that can be expanded after a city break-fueled shopping spree.
“The brands that will be successful looking ahead will provide a suite of travel products that accompany luggage,” Nordstrom’s Hartley-Triesch says. “Customers seek style, functionality and the ability to layer on accessories that accompany their luggage. Travel accessories like duffles with the sleeve for luggage handles, packing cubes and organizers are becoming more important.”
“When we launched Béis, it was very intentional that we not be a luggage brand or a travel brand. In the average person’s life they travel twice a year, but they are on the go every day,” says Hussain Johnson. Last week, Béis unveiled a collaboration with Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty, on makeup bags and carry cases that can be used for travel but also daily life.
Away has employed a similar playbook, with several category launches over the last couple of years. “Our iconic hardside suitcases remain at the heart of the brand, but today’s momentum is powered by thoughtful innovation… That’s why recent launches across new categories, including Kids, Softside, Featherlight and our Garment Duffle, continue to accelerate growth,” says Away CEO Jessica Schinazi. “While air travel remains important, we’re also seeing strong momentum in other forms of travel: train journeys, road trips, multigenerational travel and shorter getaways. Our assortment delivers solutions for all these on-the-go moments, supporting everything from business and family travel to leisure trips, the rise of sports and festival travel, weddings and more.”
Even as these premium players rise, there’s a growth avenue for those who innovate, Euromonitor’s LeRolland says. “As competition heats up and travel activity shows resilience with consumers prioritizing holidays and experiences over tangible goods, we can expect market players in the luggage space to continue to launch more innovations, around circularity, repair, new technologies and materials, to differentiate their offerings and build loyalty.”
