The TREX Awards revealed: Honouring the best in travel retail-exclusive excellence (2)

Welcome to the second annual TREX Awards results.

Following the success of the inaugural edition last year, The Moodie Davitt Report is delighted and proud to reveal further results from this year’s edition of a trailblazing celebration of the finest travel retail-exclusive (TREX) products and related innovations worldwide.

The awards are being released in phases this week – yesterday we revealed Children’s Products, the intensely competitive Confectionery & Food and Cosmetics.

Today we announce the TREX Destination Merchandise, Fashion and Accessories and Fragrances results.

Spanning multiple categories, TREX recognises differentiation and excellence within travel retail, shining a spotlight on products, campaigns and collaborations that deliver unique, channel-specific value to travellers.

The top performer in each category secures the prestigious Winner title, awarded to the entry that best embodies unrivalled excellence. Gold and Silver follow (only where merited), acknowledging fellow excellent initiatives, resulting in a tiered celebration of the industry’s most outstanding channel-exclusive products and innovations.

The TREX results follow below by category. Silver and Gold (when awarded) are listed first, followed by the Winner.

The results culminate with the reveal of The Patogotitan Award – the highest-ranked TREX across all categories.

Gold: Mer Mer Merchandise Collection – Lagardère Travel Retail Singapore

The proposition: The Mer Mer Merchandise Collection is a travel retail exclusive for Discover Singapore at Changi Airport, inspired by Singapore’s official mascot, the Merlion, into a collectable destination mascot.

Spanning edible, wearable and souvenir products, the range combines cultural storytelling, Singapore-inspired flavours, and sustainable design to create a memorable, scalable retail experience for international travellers.

Judges’ comments:

A very good entry. Attractive products and shows collaboration between operator, brand and airport. Perfect gift ideas.

Good range of souvenir products available for all ages. I would have liked to see more evidence of commercial results.

A strong entry. Developed exclusively for the Discover Singapore store at Changi Airport, Mer Mer is the first destination mascot conceptualised to represent the store’s identity, while celebrating one of Singapore’s most recognisable symbols, the Merlion.

The way Mer Mer reinterprets the national icon into a warm and approachable character is cute, clever and collectable. An excellent TREX that spans edible, wearable and souvenir products.

As the entry notes, Mer Mer also combines cultural storytelling, Singapore-inspired flavours and sustainable design. Impressive. More details on consumer take-up would have seen it score even higher.

Gold: Portugal Duty Free Happy Charity Puppets – ARI

The proposition: Portugal Duty Free’s Happy Charity Puppets showcase both the retailer’s ESG commitments and a strong sense of place within the travel retail environment.

Using a quintet of Portugal Duty Free mascots (the ‘Duty Friends’), the puppets were designed to offer passengers a playful farewell from Portugal while also supporting Terra dos Sonhos (see details below), an outstanding Portuguese non-profit organisation (also see TREX Children’s products here).

Judges’ comments:

A TREX with purpose. A heartwarming initiative by ARI. A fun and environmentally friendly product to support a good cause. Well done.

Both fun and destination-relevant with a great charity link.

The Happy Charity Puppets are both a product and a memorable social campaign, a combination that allows the ARI/ANA Aeropuertos de Portugal joint venture Portugal Duty Free to create unforgettable memories for those facing profound life challenges.

It also embraces and champions a strong sense of place. Portugal Duty Free mascots – the ‘Duty Friends’, Duarte (Lisbon); Diana (Faro), Diogo (Porto), Dinis (Madeira) and Dora (Azores) offer passengers a playful farewell from Portugal while supporting a fine charitable cause.

The range was created in partnership with Terra dos Sonhos, a Portuguese non-profit organisation that continuously promotes the well-being of children, young people and adults in vulnerable situations.

Social media traction was excellent and I loved the way Portugal Duty Free team members volunteered one hour of their working day to promote the Happy Charity Puppets in-store from 1 to 5 December around International Volunteer Day.

A brilliant concept.

Winner: Travel Blue Memory Collections – Travel Blue

The proposition: Memory Collections is developed as a destination-exclusive souvenir concept designed to reflect evolving traveller behaviour, particularly the growing desire for personalisation and self-expression among Gen Z consumers, an emerging and influential travel segment that values customisable products and experience-led purchases.

The range includes destination-themed pins, badges and travel pillows created to personalise luggage and backpacks. This collection enables travellers to curate and display their journeys as part of their identity. 

Judges’ comments:

A very attractive offer, easy to mix and match, and all items are easily personalised. The displays are impactful and would certainly promote impulse purchases.

A nice concept that fits into the personalisation and self-expression need states. Clearly targeted at Gen Z shoppers and likely to prove a huge hit with them. Scalable across multiple locations. Shame they did not include results in the submission.

A striking entry though it would be interesting to have seen more details on the commercial take-up. I suspect they were very strong.

Memory Collections taps beautifully into the desire for personalisation and self-expression among Gen Z consumers (and others). 

I just love the vibrancy of the in-store display options, which as one of the retailers quoted in the nomination observes, almost compels shoppers to enter the retail space, browse the range and individualise their backpacks and luggage. Class.

Gold: Vanda Miss Joaquim Pashma Scarf Collection – Lagardère Travel Retail Singapore

The proposition: The Vanda Miss Joaquim Pashma Scarf Collection, launched at Discover Singapore in August 2025, transforms Singapore’s national flower (the Vanda Miss Joaquim) into a sustainable luxury accessory.

Crafted from 100% bamboo fibres, it combines elegance, practicality and cultural storytelling. Lightweight and versatile, it serves as a chic travel essential, souvenir or premium gift for travellers.

Judges’ comments:

An interesting, environmentally friendly product, perfect for gifting.

Certainly unique to Changi but the entry is too light on results and examples of TREX communication to score higher.

This lovely gift celebrates Singapore’s national flower, the beautifully named Vanda Miss Joaquim.

This refined TREX was developed by the Lagardère Travel Retail-run Discover Singapore stores for Changi Airport and launched to coincide with Singapore’s National Day month. A lovely gift and a well-conceived TREX (I wanted to know about consumer reaction and commercial results, however).

Winner: Travel Blue EcoJourney Backpack – Travel Blue

The proposition: The EcoJourney backpack reflects Travel Blue’s commitment to responsible innovation, combining sustainable materials with practical travel design.

By transforming recycled materials into everyday travel essentials, EcoJourney enables travellers to make more conscious choices while supporting the travel retail industry’s broader sustainability ambitions.

Judges’ comments:

The name of the product says it all really. Here we have a prime example of a travel-oriented brand underlining what has been an impressively prolonged commitment to responsible innovation, combining sustainable materials with practical travel design.

The focus is clearly on Gen Z preferences, appealing to this demographic’s desire for practical, cost and environmentally credible choices. A richly deserving winner.

A very good offer, environmentally friendly and a good match for travellers.

I like the sustainability element to this. A very strong addition to the Travel Blue range.

Silver: Boss Bottled Gift Set 4x10ml – Coty

The proposition: A refined Boss Bottled gift set featuring four renowned fragrances in travel-friendly 10ml sprays, elegantly presented in a sleek black box.

The collection includes Boss Bottled Eau de Toilette, Boss Bottled Eau de Parfum, Boss Bottled Infinite Eau de Parfum and Boss Bottled Parfum.

Judges’ comments:

A very nicely executed set, the design is clean, modern and attractive. Well done.

A great pack format for travel retail (4 x 10ml bottles). No mention of communication, responsibility or results in the entry or it would have scored higher. A nice TREX.

The TREX element is in the collection of the four fragrances rather than the fragrances themselves but it certainly still counts as a travel retail-exclusive item.

It is a neat concept, nicely described as ‘a complete fragrance wardrobe’, one that allows users to carry multiple BOSS scents wherever they go and tailor their fragrance to any moment. Giftable. Discoverable. And eminently practical.

Gold: Chloé Atelier des Fleurs – Penspray coffret – Coty

The proposition: The Chloé perfume gift set features five popular Atelier des Fleurs fragrances developed in collaboration with renowned perfumers.

Judges’ comments:

A beautiful coffret with stand-out packaging.

Again, a lovely item. But again, no mention of communication, responsibility or results in the entry or it would have scored higher.

An oh so pretty SKU that works supremely well as a premium TREX, thanks to its compact size, multi-fragrance assortment and elevated design.

The combination of compact size, multi-fragrance assortment and elevated design is a surefire consumer winner.

Winner: Chloé Refillable Travel Spray – Coty

The proposition: The Chloé Refillable Travel Spray is designed to bring a refined and effortless way to enjoy fragrance on the go. The set pairs Chloé Eau de Parfum 100ml with a pre-filled, endlessly refillable 10ml travel spray, allowing the scent to accompany the user throughout the day.

Designed in a compact, travel-ready format, the TREX is easily refillable from the 100ml bottle.

Judges’ comments:

A very good set, perfect for travellers to bring along their favourite fragrance without having to carry a whole bottle. The refillable bottle only hints, though, at a more environmentally friendly product.

Admirable differentiation to this product with 100ml and 10ml refillable bottles. A premium look.

This one stood out to me among three strong Coty entries, just ahead of the Chloé Atelier des Fleurs – Penspray coffret. 

The premiumisation, based on an elegant aesthetic, is alluring and the sustainability credentials clear. A portable, practical and stylish way to carry fragrance while travelling. The first refillable product available as a TREX is a winner with travelling consumers and a winner here.

Expert and highly considered judging

Submissions were assessed by a diverse panel of experts, led by veteran drinks and travel retail sector executive Tim Young, UK-based Founder & Managing Director of Young Spirit Consulting. Tim has enjoyed a stellar career across more than three decades in senior management roles with two of the world’s largest spirits companies, Seagram and Brown-Forman.

Tim was joined by The Moodie Davitt Report Founder & Chairman Martin Moodie, creator of the TREX Awards and host of the acclaimed new B2B-B2C crossover video series, The TREX Factor.

Martin has spent almost four decades in the industry and is a perennial champion of the travel retail-exclusive (forever known going forward as TREX) concept and considers himself almost as old as the original T-Rex/Tyrannosaurus Rex.

The panel is completed by Hong Kong-based Canny Kwok, Director for Search and Consulting at Exquisitz Asia and a highly regarded figure in the Asian beauty and travel retail worlds. Canny has more than 30 years of business development and market growth experience across Asia, Mid Pacific, Hawaii and mainland USA, specialising in luxury travel retail across jewellery, watches, accessories, and perfume & cosmetics.

Martin Moodie said, “The volume and quality of submissions in our second TREX Awards is glowing testament to the burgeoning importance of the TREX concept to retailers, airports and brands alike.

“Truly differentiated, not token, products are now a critical element of any travel retailer’s mix. Intensifying and often cut-throat pricing competition from cross-border ecommerce, other online platforms and low-cost local market operators, actually leaves travel retailers little choice but to say, ‘Hey, you can find something different and interesting here that you will not find anywhere else.’

“Communicating that point of difference is as critical as the TREX itself and the judges felt that too many entries this year let themselves down by not shouting that exclusivity from the store rooftops. 

“Once again in our judging, we have made it clear that simple size variations or packaging tweaks don’t constitute a meaningful TREX. In our assessments, we were searching for products that truly enhanced the travel retail proposition through genuine differentiation, stand-out quality and value.

“I am delighted to say that we discovered many such gems. The scoring in several categories – confectionery, spirits and marketing, in particular – was incredibly competitive. That reflects an impressively high-calibre TREX roll-call for 2026.”