US. Leading luggage company Samsonite and British fashion designer Alexander McQueen have joined forces to create a luxury travel bag collection, to be available in-store from February 2007.
The Samsonite Black Label by Alexander McQueen collaboration brings together inspiration and ideas from McQueen’s life and travels.
The designs contrast tradition and modernity and are said to fuse nature and technology. Patterns and designs found in nature are brought to life using the latest technological know-how. The ergonomic collection features natural shapes and curves.
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The upscale Alexander McQueen collection features a wheeled case that takes on the imprint of a human torso and a crocodile-skin textured design |
Commmenting on the new collection, McQueen said: “I was really inspired by the idea of developing my own take on luggage – to be able to rise to the challenge of working in a new arena. And I am always interested in learning from new technical expertise.”
Samsonite President and CEO Marcello Bottoli added: “Samsonite is a company with a rich heritage and design sensibility that has come to redefine the whole concept of travel design. This collection showcases the innovation and luxury inherent in the Samsonite Black Label brand.”
Travel pieces
The AI1 wheeled luggage model takes on the imprint of a human torso with the ribcage and sternum outlined at the front of the case and the backbone on the back. This striking effect is echoed in the interior with a negative of the ribs represented in a soft moulded form.
The AI2 case has a crocodile-skin textured pattern. Both pieces are lined with a soft feather print and are available in black and bone colours.
Travel bags and accessories
The travel bag collection includes a beauty case, garment bag and two boarding bags (male and female). Featuring fluid, curvaceous shapes, the collection uses a combination of plain and crocodile printed leather and ottoman fabric.
Also available are a leather travel wallet, a crocodile print passport holder and a name tag with key holder. A TSA padlock completes the collection.
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Gerard Murray, Director Duty Free & Travel Retail (pictured, top right) with the Samsonite Black Label collection at TFWA World Exhibition in October 2006 Photos by Salina Christmas | |
Samsonite Black Label store openings
Samsonite Black Label has recently opened stores in London (Sloane Street and Royal Exchange), Berlin (Friedrichstrasse), Brussels (Boulevard de Waterloo), Moscow (GUM), Seoul (Cheong Dam-Dong), Singapore (Raffles Hotel) Kuwait City, and Mumbai (Grand Hyatt), in New York (Madison Avenue), Tokyo (Ginza) with imminent openings in San Francisco (Union Square) and Boston (Copley Place).
Alexander McQueen has three flagship stores, London, Milan and New York, and franchises in Istanbul; Japan and Russia are in the pipeline. The brand is also represented in many of the world’s most influential department stores.
For details, contact Gerard Murray, Director Duty Free & Travel Retail, Samsonite Europe N.V., Westerring 17, 9700 Oudenaarde, Belgium, tel: +32 55 33 33 50, or e-mail gerard.murray@samsonite-europe.com Visit www.samsoniteblacklabel.com
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