Dive Brief:
- DTC luggage brand Away is set to launch a new softside luggage collection on July 9, per an email release sent to Retail Dive.
- Known for its hardside luggage, Away is attempting to capture a massive portion of the market. The company claims over 50% of luggage sales in the U.S. are for softside luggage. The collection will be introduced on its website and in its 17 stores in the U.S., U.K. and Canada.
- Priced between $225 and $325, the collection is made up of the brand’s four original sizes and comes in colors jet black, cloud gray, coast blue and clay pink. Features include a top flap opening that opens to a main compartment, two no-show exterior front pockets, a matching TSA-accepted padlock and a proprietary stabilizer designed to keep the bag upright when full.
Dive Insight:
Away has been a leader in hardside luggage since the brand launched in 2016.
But over the years, the brand has expanded its product range. Emerging from the severe downturn in the travel industry impacted by COVID-19, the company expanded into outdoor travel products with the launch of duffle bags, backpacks, tote bags, messenger bags, organizational cubes and pouches.
Expanding further now with the softsided collection, Away seeks to capture a significant share of what it says is an underdeveloped market.
“Travel is deeply personal, and preference in luggage is no exception,” Jen Rubio, co-founder and CEO of Away, said in a statement. “With our launch in 2016, we revolutionized the hardside market and proved that you don’t have to sacrifice style for function. After years of design iterations, rigorous testing, and thousands of interactions with softside customers to understand their travel habits and style preferences, we are uniquely positioned to redefine this historically uninspired category. Finally, softside travelers will have an elevated and affordable option they can feel proud to travel with.”
As part of the new luggage launch, Away plans a marketing campaign centered around several actors, writers, comedians, chefs, and athletes, including Megan Stalter, Ben Marshall, Alan Ruck, Jerry Saltz, Tyshawn Jones, Aminatou Sow, Cleo Wade, Jenny Walton, Tyler Joe, Dan Pelosi and Gus Heagerty.
The new product classification for Away comes amid a period of restructuring after seeing the company make a number of executive decisions including laying off 25% of its internal staff and “the elimination of a traditional executive team structure” earlier this year.
Like other luggage companies, Away faced severe headwinds during the COVID-19 outbreak, seeing sales plummet by 90% just after the pandemic shut down most travel in 2020. The company experienced numerous executive changes and enacted several rounds of layoffs, including one round last year that affected the brand’s chief commercial officer, Laura Willensky.
Bloomberg in early 2023 suggested that Away was considering several restructuring options, including a sale of the company.
