The Future is Bright: - Travel Goods Association

THE 2011 TRAVEL GOODS SHOW
The Future is Bright:
Upswing Mood, Vibrant Energy and Bright, Bold
Colors Mark 2011 Travel Goods Show BY KATHY WITT
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF 24/7 INTERNATIONAL, OLYMPIA, MURVAL PARIS, SUMDEX, MAX MIRANI
WE’RE BAAAAACK!
It was a very different Travel Goods
Show this year, and it was more than
the change in venue, from the usual Las
Vegas Convention Center to Chicago’s
McCormick Place. There was, simply,
more excitement and energy on the
floor, in the biggest Show since 2008’s
recession.
“We’re definitely back,” said Michele
Marini Pittenger, president of the Travel
Goods Association, who noted the Show
was so sold out it had an exhibitor waiting
list — and that was after going 14%
over the budgeted goal.
“Two hundred fifteen exhibitors,
representing over 300 brands, came
this year. Fifty-percent more attendees
pre-registered for this year’s show over
last year. The New Products Pavilion
displayed 90 brand-new items, 50%
more than last year.
“Perhaps more telling is the fact
that we had a record-breaking number
of nominees for the Product Innovation
Awards,” she added. “It means the
industry is investing in new products,
and consumers are interested in new
items. These are all terrific signs that
we’re on the upswing.”
With more than 40,000 products
on display, from 2,000 different lines,
the Show provided a bird’s eye view of
the current trends in travel goods. And
while there’s no substitute for being
there, here are the highlights:
DID WE SAY COLOR?
Heys USA embraced the color theme
with sheer exuberance — even holding
a special artist signing with pop artist
Charles Fazzino — as the company
celebrated its “art of modern luggage”
motto through artist collections featuring
not only Fazzino’s urban-edged
flamboyance, but the striking pop art
of Romero Britto. The four-piece sets
of showstopping four-wheel hardshells
retail for $1,200 (Britto Garden) and
$1,060 (Fazzino).
Also flying its color verve: Italian
manufacturer Roncato, with its UNO
Collection depicting stunning graphics
in boldly sleek polycarbonate trolleys
and uprights including Rosso Murales,
Nero Rosa and Viola Fiori ($569-$625).
Lulu Castagnette by Murval Paris
was lustrous in polycarbonate — its
Flamenco set, with 22” spinner, carryon
and beauty case was all sass in
pastels ($269), and its Pink Lulu Bear
was irresistibly hot in pink, orange, red,
silver and white ($289/three-piece set).
Olympia unleashed a rainbow with its
new collections, including Blossom, a
bouquet of aqua blue, lavender, orange
and yellow in polycarbonate on dual
spinner wheels ($399/set).
24/7 International took a subdued-yet-striking
approach in designer
Christina DePonte’s Oleg Cassini
Wedding Collections. Bouquet and Tie
the Knot are classic interpretations of
Cassini’s iconic, trend-setting “Camelot”
designs for First Lady Jackie Kennedy
($120-$280 and $200/set). Bouquet’s
five pieces evoke lace-accented bridal
gowns with their woven fabric construction,
patent black trim and silver
hardware, an elegant “something new”
for brides. And the coy Tie the Knot
Collection, with its patent bow accent,
shows just how timeless Cassini’s brand
of old school glamour can be.
In small leather goods, LODIS rolled
out boldy dramatic clutches, cross-body
bags, wallets and wristlets with feminine
flair: Audrey in royal and citron
($42-$94); Celestial in abstract Italian
leather with suggestively Impressionist
patterns ($52-$145); and Posey, dazzling
in guava, lime and sky florals
($38-$84).
“The color explosion began about
three to four years ago in the U.S. It’s
hotter and hotter,” noted K.U. Chung,
sales manager at BelArno. And you can
see it in BelArno’s selection of ladies’
wallets, clutches and cross-body bags
with color mash-ups in hot combos
of red, brown, purple, green, blue and
black ($55-$155).
WEIGHT WATCHERS
Lightweight luggage is still hot, but
these days it takes light weight and
smart features to steal the scene. And
hardside four-wheelers seem to be one
Left to right: Bouquet — from 24/7 International’s Oleg Cassini Wedding Collection — the modern take on John and Jackie Kennedy’s timeless Camelot; Olympia’s Blossom
Collection features polycarbonate construction, dual spinner wheels and full interior lining; The irrepressibly bright and sassy Flamenco by Murval Paris; North-South Business
Brief by Sumdex; The ingeniously compact Max Mirani CRUSH.
Travel Goods SHOWCASE May 2011
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THE 2011 TRAVEL GOODS SHOW
of the more successful design formulas.
Antler’s Liquis 4-Wheel Roller Case
sports a virgin polycarbonate A-Plus
shell for a slick, tough-stuff persona at
a svelte 8.4 lbs. ($399); the very smart
INTUS business case with integrated
handle scale shows off light weight in a
flexible and impact-absorbing hardshell
that helps travelers dodge baggage fees,
from INTUS’ Sirus Collection (starting
at $130); and Delsey’s Helium Breeze
3.0 Carry-On Trolley with EZ Glide
4-Wheel Spinner System, a softside with
fiberglass frame, is light on the scales
but heavy on durability ($149.99).
In softsides, Ricardo Beverly
Hills’ Expandable WheelAboard
Carry-on from its Superlight Sausalito
Collection garnered retailer attention
with its sleek 7.1-pound frame and
four-wheel Glide-Lite system, reflecting
the new norm for 20” cases ($240).
International Traveller, already known
for its “World’s Lightest Collection,”
shed some ounces with its IT-0-1 2nd
Generation 4-Wheel, dubbed the
“world’s lightest spinner” ($123 to
$160). American Flyer’s McCool E2
[Extreme Exploration] bags, backpacks
and messengers appeal to your
inner James Bond with its rugged,
ready-for-adventure-regardless-of-peril
aesthetic ($70-$450).
And Delsey’s Helium Breeze 3.0
Carry-On Trolley with EZ-Glide
4-Wheel Spinner System blurs the line
between softsides and hard cases, with
softside construction and a fiberglass
frame that’s an appealing dichotomy of
light-on-the-scales and heavy-on-durability
($149.99).
“Carry-ons continue to be strong,
thanks to travelers wanting to avoid
checked bag fees,” noted Marini
Pittenger, “This means travel clothing,
organizers and other ways to reduce
bulk are hot items as well.” One such
marvel to debut at The Show was
Shelves-To-GO ® , a collapsible hanging
shelf unit designed to fit carry-on
luggage (see Awards story, page 55 for
more). You simply stow your clothes
in Shelves-To-GO ® , arrive at your hotel,
unzip, hang the entire unit in the closet
and you’re already unpacked.
With checked bag weight and carryon
space at a premium, space-saving
design is BIG. Max Mirani’s Crush
lives up to its name by squeezing into
a dresser drawer ($395/$22”), and its
MOVE showed stylish dexterity: at your
destination just hang, unzip and —
voila! — instant “closet” with neatly
organized shelves ($495). Balanzza’s
TRUCO, billed as the industry’s first
modular carry-on, reshapes itself to
fit allotted space via a click-on system
($199). And Lipault’s twill nylon
Foldable 0% cases ($180-$225 U.S.)
impressed by collapsing to fit inside a
space-saving pouch — in “Wake-up!”
colors.
UNWANTED
HITCHHIKERS
Whether the bed bug threat is real
or imagined, the creepy crawlies have
been in the news and several companies
were all over it. RMB Group’s Rest
Easy is an all-natural spray made from
cinnamon, lemongrass, clove and mint
essential oils that is both people-safe
and earth-friendly and can be sprayed
around the hotel room on arrival and
on your luggage — bed bugs’ ticket
to your house ($6.99-$7.99/2-oz. twopack).
Its reusable bed bug bags offer
even more protection ($7.99/six).
“By placing and locking your clothing
in these bags before your trip — and
not putting them in the hotel dresser
Left to Right: The compact and lightweight Slide Tech Bag by Briggs & Riley; GOAL ZERO ® ’s the Guide 10
Adventure Kit lets you be electronically portable, even off the grid; Roncato’s UNO Collection; Ricardo Beverly Hills’
Sausalito 20” carry-on exemplifies the new norm — bold colors with more compact size.
— you avoid one of the simplest means
of transferring the pest to your home,”
says Brian Nachsin of the RMB Group.
“Most importantly, all of your worn
clothing should be packed into these
travel bags as a way of quarantining it.”
Also rolling out preventative bed
bug sprays: the patented Stop Bugging
Me!, with enough naturally-derived
spray to treat two queen-size mattresses
($7.99/3-oz. travel size); and Bed Bug
Patrol ® , which offers Bed Bug Travel &
Luggage Spray ($11.85), chemical-free
and non-toxic Bed Bug Traps ($19.95/8-
pack) and Premium Bed Bug Luggage
Protection Covers ($24) that are impermeable
to the little buggers.
ALL TECHED-UP
“We’re seeing more emphasis on multifunctional
everyday bags. They’re items
you’d use between work and home, but
help simplify travel with features like
ticket pockets and water bottle holsters.
These can be business cases, laptop
carriers, even oversize purses — they’re
stylish, fashion-forward, and supremely
functional,” noted Marini Pittenger.
And two words sum up almost
everything happening in the high-tech/
everyday bag segment — iPad Case.
Scads of manufacturers are catering to
the perpetually plugged-in, with options
for protecting and toting iPads, tablets
and eReaders, further blurring the
line between travel goods and everyday
essentials.
“There appears to be no end to the
innovation as manufacturers continue
to create products specifically designed
to make travel less stressful and a lot
more fun,” said Marini Pittenger.
Upping the fun factor: the graphically
dynamic e-Book Wraps and iPad
Wraps from Hadaki by Kalencom ($30
and $50); Piel’s exquisitely designed
iPad Flip Case that turns your iPad into
a folio, with multiple pockets for business
cards or papers, and transforms
into a horizontal or vertical hands-free
stand ($97); KIVA Designs’ Microtech
Shoulder Bag in graphite, surf and glorious
sunfire orange, whose main compartment
has a tablet-size padded pocket
($39.95); and Clava, whose Carina
iPad Cover epitomizes this segment’s
esthetic of modern design simplicity
and multifunctional versatility ($67.50).
“At the very core of the entire collection
are clean minimalist lines infused to
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF BRIGGS & RILEY, GOAL ZERO, RONCATO, RICARDO BEVERLY HILLS
24 May 2011 Travel Goods SHOWCASE

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF TRENDYKID, STEWART/STAND, HEYS USA, BELARNO
high function,” says Clava designer Mia
Hur. “Clean lines, reinforced exterior
for protection, with a flap that can be
used as a kickstand, pulled all the way
back and snapped into place for reading,
emailing or browsing.”
Briggs & Riley appealed to on-thego
professionals demanding 24/7 connectivity
with the lightweight Slide Tech
Bag for tablets and eReaders ($129);
Sumdex embraced multi-taskers with
its SpinWork Quick Stand, a hard
plastic iPad case that spins for portrait,
landscape or other angled views, and
hangs for hands-free viewing ($49.99).
It fits neatly into the company’s classically-styled
North-South Business
Brief, featuring a combination computer
cradle for a MacBook Pro — or
the SpinWork — and separate section
for tablet ($129.99).
“With smart phones and iPads managing
our lives, I almost feel that our
travel revolves around our technology,”
says Chelsea Gosset, creative director
at f ū l, whose Pivot ($40) — think
enhanced sleeve with greater flexibility
for viewing and using tablets — tucks
neatly into the company’s Joint Venture
MacBook Messenger with Detachable
iPad Case ($69.99).
LO & SONS, new to the luggage
landscape, hit the ground running with
its T.T. (travel tote-$260) and O.G. (overnight
and gym-$295) bags. The bags
have padded compartments for both
a tablet and a laptop, yet maintain a
slim silhouette. More importantly, they
are lightweight and feature a patentpending
internal support strap system
— a design element that was key for
company founder Helen Lo, who suffers
from a bad back
In teched-up bags, Powerbag’s
Business Class Pack — a $179.99 checkpoint-friendly
laptop backpack with a
built-in 6000mAh battery for recharging
portable electronics — earned
third place in the Travel Goods
Association’s Product Innovation
Awards. The bag, from RFA
Brands, features a full-size USB
socket, micro- and mini-USB
plugs and a 30-pin Apple connector,
and carries enough juice to
charge a typical cell phone battery
four times over.
And if you’re going off the
grid, GOAL ZERO ® ’s portable solar
technology keeps you powered up with
the Guide 10 Adventure Kit ($139.95/
without rechargeable AA batteries;
$159.95/with the batteries). It folds in
your pocket, functions as a power pack,
and solar-charges cell phones in one to
two hours, charges AA/AAA batteries in
three to five sun hours, and has a builtin
LED flashlight good for nine-plus
days per charge.
BABIES ON BOARD
Nemo, Curious George and Buzz
Lightyear were some of the beloved
characters appealing to pint-sized travelers
in pillows, blankets and lovies
— sometimes all three together — as
kids’ comfort items took front and center
with many exhibitors at The 2011
Travel Goods Show.
“Function and versatility are the big
trends, although they’re always part of
the travel goods picture,” said Marini
Pittenger. “Manufacturers continue to
design and deliver products that make
travel more convenient, comfortable,
colorful, safe and secure.”
Lewis & Clark fished up Nemo
for its line of Li’l Lewis Explorers
travel neck pillows. Cabeau put the
warm-and-fuzzy in its Travel Blankid®
($29.99), a super soft plush animal that
transforms into a blanket, travel pillow
and backpack, and swept the Travel
Goods Show’s Buzz Award. Zoobies’
Storytime Pals turns Curious George,
storytime’s most famous monkey, into
a plush toy, pillow and fleece blanket
all-in-one and accompanied by a storybook
($35). “Even though a Zoobie
wasn’t directly created with travel in
mind, we have found that it is a perfect
travel companion,” says Zoobies’ Sam
Allen. “So many parents and grandparents
have told me that a Zoobie took so
much hassle out of their travels.”
With its nesting Cuties and Pals
travel duo, TrendyKid also gave a nod
to making parents’ lives easier by pairing
a sturdy hardshell 20” wheelie and a
13” backpack together ($89.99).
The kid appeal of Trunki ($39.99)
by Melissa & Doug is off the charts
with these brightly colored ride-on/pullalong
lightweight suitcases that were
introduced a few years ago. Enhancing
the cases are new Saddlebags ($14.99)
that kids can drape over their Trunki for
additional padding or carry as a shoulder
pack. In either case, the saddlebags
allow kids to tote more of their musthaves
— art supplies, picture books,
snacks, mad money — along on their
adventures.
And speaking of adventure, Space
Ranger Buzz Lightyear and the whole
Toy Story gang literally shine in Disney
by Heys’ Fiber Optic Rolling Duffels
($110). Other flashing favorites in the
line: Disney’s Fairies, Princesses and
Cars.
THE NEXT FRONTIER
Getting attention are accessories that
incorporate RFID-blocking technology
to protect personal information
stored on RFID chips finding their way
onto passports and credit cards. Among
them are Pacsafe’s RFIDsafe 50
RFID Passport Protector ($14.99), the
Shielded SPIbelt ($29.95) carrier for
small personal items, Royce Leather
Gifts’ wallets and passport covers in
different styles and colors from $30 to
$52. And the drool-inducing, industrialgrade
stainless steel men’s and women’s
wallets, clutches and mini messengers
from Stewart/Stand for $59.50 to $700
— but it’s beauty so sleek it’s worth
every piece of silver you lay down for
one.
b
Left to Right: Cuties and Pals travel duo by TrendyKid; Stewart/Stand’s sleek-and-stainless Mini Messenger Bag
dazzles while providing RFID protection; Heys USA’s funky Fazzino Collection brings some lighthearted fun back to
the travel experience; BelArno’s wallets, clutches and cross-body bags show that colors are hot, hot, hot!
Travel Goods SHOWCASE May 2011
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