Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.

Why Are There So Many Luggage Brands?

Tourists have their pick of suitcases at every price point, thanks to low barriers to entry and a travel boom that’s inflated the category’s sales year after year. But amid signs demand has peaked, it’ll take more than a Shopify storefront and slick branding to succeed.

SteamLine, Floyd and Monos luggage. — Following the pandemic, the “revenge travel” craze catapulted growth in the luggage category, but that momentum has slowed in recent months. (SteamLine, Floyd and Monos)

Cathaleen Chen

28 March 2025

Christopher Angelotti spent more than a month hunting for the perfect set of luggage ahead of a planned trip to Europe this summer. He considered direct-to-consumer brands like Away, $1,500 Rimowa hardshells, sturdy options from the century-old suitcase maker

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What Happens When the Travel Boom Ends?

Discounted airfare and lower hotel occupancies in recent months signal weakening demand in the vacation economy. For brands that thrived on “revenge travel,” this means pivoting to more versatile products and offering cheaper options.

Rimowa Turned Luggage Into a Status Symbol. Can It Sell Fashion?

Three years after LVMH acquired the hardside luggage maker, Chief Executive Alexandre Arnault aims to move the brand beyond the baggage carousel and hit €1 billion in sales, all while building a ‘case study’ for a new way of working.

The Next Generation of Luggage Start-Ups

While Away won over millennials with its hard-shell suitcase, newcomers in the category are enticing Gen Z with colourful alternatives as tourism comes booming back.

About the author

Cathaleen Chen

Cathaleen Chen is Retail Editor at The Business of Fashion. She is based in New York and drives BoF’s coverage of the retail and direct-to-consumer sectors.

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