Hold Up: Is Luggage Actually Cool Again?

For the past 25 years, my suitcase philosophy has been simple: grab anything with functional zippers and no discernible tears from my parents’ third-floor luggage closet, a weirdly cavernous space that my brother and I used to make forts in as kids, hiding between wheelie Atlantic carry-ons and piles of summer-camp duffel bags.

The most “fashion” has ever come into the equation is the addition of a red leopard-print luggage tag I picked up as an intern at Marc by Marc Jacobs (RIP), and tech? LOL, yeah right. But one of the funny things about growing up is that practical purchases suddenly become legitimately exciting; one of the running jokes in our office is that the true mark of adulthood is owning a Dyson vacuum.

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Lately, a great suitcase has started to seem just as covetable as the latest It-handbag—Gucci’s custom Dionysus bag notwithstanding—largely thanks to a handful of new luggage brands reinvigorating the relatively staid industry with fresh design and modern tech capabilities.

After all, it’s 2016: How are we still trying to balance our suitcase on our bathroom scale to find out if it’s overweight? And let’s be real: Aesthetics are a lot more important when you’re Instagramming photos of yourself at the airport or Snapping a tour of your hotel room.

Ahead, get to know three new brands that are aiming to make travel more stylish and less stressful—finally.